Download US History End of Course Test Review Material

U. S. History End of Course Test Review Material
Domain 1- Colonization through the Constitution
GPS 1-5
(This Domain will account for 19% of test questions or approximately 15 of 80
questions)
GPS 1
SSUSH1 The student will describe (tell me about, list details) European settlement
in North America during the 17th century.
a. Explain (make plain, show me, justify) Virginia’s development; include the
Virginia Company, tobacco cultivation, relationships with Native Americans such as
Powhatan, development of the House of Burgesses, Bacon’s Rebellion, and the
development of slavery
Standard Overview-Britain colonial development differed in the regions of the colonies
where settlers came. Virginia started as a “for profit” colony and New England developed
as a place where religious settlers could practice the religion they wanted without
tolerating other religions except for Pennsylvania and Maryland that limited persecution
of other religions. New York was originally established by the Dutch for trade and was
then taken over by the English. Very few of the colonies had good relations with the
Native-American population as settlers wanted to remove the Indians and control their
land. The French, who settled Quebec, however, had good relations with the Indians as
they wanted trade and did not try to own the Indian lands.
Virginia Colonial Growth
Jamestown, Virginia was the first permanent English colony in North America. It
was a for profit business venture of the Virginia Company, an English company that
planned to make money by sending people to America to find gold and other valuable
natural resources and then ship the resources back to England. The Virginia Company
sent 150 men to colonize the area and find silver and gold. Many were “gentlemen” of
noble birth and refused to do manual labor or plant crops. Others were indentured
servants.
Indentured Servants Provided Much of the Virginia Colonies Original Labor Needs
Indentured servants-Many of the Virginia colonists were indentured servants. An
indentured servant is one who contracts their labor out for a period of years in exchange
for passage to the colony or perhaps to work off a debt instead of going to debtor’s
prison.
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The Starving Time-The winter of 1609-1610 nearly saw the destruction of the colony
because of starvation. This was known as the starving time in the colony. Colonists
resorted to stealing from the local Indians, eating rats, mice, snakes, and one man even
killed his wife to eat her. Out of the original 150 people who had arrived in 1607, only 37
remained alive after the starving time.
Tobacco (Brown Gold) Saves the Virginia Colony By Providing and Economic Cash
Crop
Brown Gold (Tobacco) Saves the Virginia Company-The Virginia Colonists
discovered no gold but learned how to cultivate tobacco when John Rolfe learned to
hybridize a Brazilian tobacco with a native American tobacco.. Tobacco quickly became
a major cash crop, and an important source of wealth in Virginia. It also helped to
create major social and economic divisions between those who owned land and those
who did not. Additionally, tobacco cultivation was labor-intensive and caused the
Virginia colony's economy to become highly dependent on indentured servants and
ultimately, slavery.
Headright System- The headright system was an exchange of land (50 acres) to any
person that paid the way of an indentured servant to come to Virginia to work on a
tobacco plantation. Thus, many wealthy persons in England could develop their own
plantations by paying the way of many indentured servants to Virginia (remember, the
Virginia Company got a part of the tobacco profits from others, and made a profit on its
own lands). Virginia colony experienced great growth between 1612 and 1622.
House of Burgesses Created to Provide for Colonial Self-Rule
House of Burgesses-In 1619 The Virginia Company established a legislative assembly
that was similar to England’s Parliament, called the House of Burgesses. The House of
Burgesses was the first European-type legislative body in the New World. Property
owners had the right to vote for Burgess members. Indentured servants, slaves, and
non-property owners could not vote.
Slavery Introduced to British North America-In 1619 slavery was introduced into
Jamestown and British North America. In 1619 a Dutch trader anchored at Jamestown
and sold some 19 African slaves to the colonists. Slave labor would grow and ultimately
supplant indentured servants as the labor cornerstone in Virginia and the other Southern
colonies of British North America.
Geography and Climate Favor Agricultural Development
Geographical Considerations-Virginia’s rich soil, temperate climate, coastal harbors,
and river systems aided the colony’s growth, especially the Jamestown settlement. Easy
access to commercial waterways allowed colonists to export tobacco and other natural
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resources to England, as well as to import much-needed manufactured goods from
English markets. The trans-Atlantic trade made it possible for the colony to prosper
and expand. Rivers acted as an early highway system for moving agricultural products
as well.
Colonial Relations with Native Americans Often Tense, Confrontational, and
Violent
Virginia Colonial Relations With Native-Americans (Indians) Was ConfrontationalNative Americans had lived for centuries on the land the English settlers called Virginia.
A notable Native American chieftain in the region was Powhatan. The Virginia Indians
were called the Powhatans, as well. Soon after the English settlers arrived, they forced
the Native Americans off their own land, so the land could be used by colonial settlers for
agricultural purposes, especially to grow tobacco. Their actions caused many Native
Americans to flee the region and seek new places to live. Conflict arose because the
Indians did not believe in the ownership of land.
Bacon’s Rebellion Causes Plantation Owners to Rely Heavily on Slaves Rather
Than Indentured Servants
Bacon’s Rebellion exposes class differences and conflict-Not all the colonists owned
land. Poor English and slave colonists staged an uprising against the governor and his
landowning supporters. In what is called Bacon’s Rebellion, the landless rebels on the
frontier wanted harsher action against the Native Americans so more land would
be available to the colonists. The rebellion was put down, and the Virginia House of
Burgesses passed laws to regulate slavery so poor white colonists would no longer side
with slaves against rich white colonists. The significance of Bacon’s Rebellion was
the greater reliance on slaves to provide labor for Virginia’s cash crops.
SSUSH1 The student will describe (tell me about, list details) European settlement
in North America during the 17th century.
b. Describe (tell me about, list details) the settlement of New England; include
religious reasons, relations with Native Americans (e.g., King Phillip’s War), the
establishment of town meetings and development of a legislature, religious tensions
that led to the founding of Rhode Island, the half-way covenant, Salem Witch Trials,
and the loss of the Massachusetts charter and the transition to a royal colony.
New England Colonial Growth (Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, & New
Hampshire)
Pilgrims and Puritans Settle New England Colonies-The first New England colonies
were established by the Pilgrims and the Puritans. The Pilgrims, also known as
“Separatists” because they wanted to separate completely from the Church of England
and worship in their own way while the Puritans were people who wanted to “purify” the
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Church of England from Catholic church liturgy. They settled in present-day
Massachusetts.
New England, Unlike Virginia Settled By Families-Most of the colonists came with
their whole family to pursue a better life and to practice religion as they saw fit. Oft times
entire Puritan towns from England would move lock, stock, and barrel to New England.
From 1630-1640 some 30,000+ Puritans moved to New England in what was called the
Great (Puritan) Migration.
Pilgrims and Puritans Intolerant of Other Religious Views-As a result of strict
religious beliefs, the Puritans were not tolerant of religious beliefs that differed from
their own. Rhode Island was founded by religious dissenters from Massachusetts (led by
Roger Williams who believed in separation of church from the government) and who
were more tolerant of different religious beliefs.
Puritans Sought To Create A “City On A Hill”-Puritans sought to create an example
of a moral and righteous community referred to as the “city on a hill” that would shine as
God’s beacon to the world. The City on the Hill is known today as Boston.
Puritans Practice Self-Government, But Only Church Members Can Vote
Mayflower Compact And Fundamental Orders of Connecticut Early Examples of
Self-Government by Puritans-The Mayflower Compact was an agreement by Puritans
and non-puritans to abide by majority rule and to form a civil political group to make
laws for the good of the whole community. It is an important document towards selfrule. The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, similarly, was an outline for the
creation of local and colonial government in Connecticut and is also a step toward a
written form of government.
Puritans Create Local And Colonial Governments Starting With Town MeetingsCommunities were often run using town meetings, unless the king had established
control over the colony. At town meetings all the male voters would meet to discuss and
agree upon laws, rules, and government. It represented “grass roots” governance. In
colonies that the king controlled, there was often an appointed royal governor and a
partially elected legislature. Voting rights in the New England colonies were limited to
men who belonged to the church, and church membership was tightly controlled by
each congregation and its minister.
Half-Way Covenant A Means to Bring Wayward Puritans Back Into Church Life
Half-Way Covenant To Remind and Involve 2nd And 3rd Generation Puritans In
Religious Life-As more and more children were born in America, many grew up to be
adults who lacked a personal covenant (relationship) with God, the central feature of
Puritanism. In response, Puritan ministers encouraged a “Half-way Covenant” to allow
partial church membership for the children and grandchildren of the original Puritans.
The “half-way” was to remind these children and grandchildren of their religious roots.
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New England Colonial Relations With The Native American (Indians) and King
Phillip’s War
New England Colonial Relations with Indians-King Phillip’s War (1675–1676) was
an early and bloody conflict between English colonists and Native Americans. It was
named after the leader of the Native Americans. King Phillip’s Native American name
was Metacom. Many colonists died in the war, but it caused such a heavy loss of life
among the Native American population that large areas of southern New England became
English settlements. King Phillip’s War lead to the permanent loss of Native
American New England power and loss of their land.
Massachusetts Bay Colony Loses Its Charter and Forced Into An Administrative
Region Run By A Royal Governor
Massachusetts Loses its Charter-In 1686, the British king (James II) canceled the
Massachusetts charter that made it an independent colony. The King wanted to control
the area and its trade. To get more control over trade with the colonies, he combined
British colonies throughout New England into a single territory governed from England
called the Dominion of New England with Sir Edmund Andros as the local Royal
Governor. The colonists in this territory greatly disliked this centralized authority. In
1691, Massachusetts Bay regained a charter, but as a royal colony with a Royal
Governor.
Salem Witch Trials Occur as a Result of Extreme Religious Faith, Stress From a
Growing Population, and Narrow Opportunities for Women and Girls to
Participate in Puritan Society
Salem Witch Trials-In the 1690s, the famous Salem witch trials took place. In a series
of court hearings, over 150 Massachusetts colonists were accused of witchcraft and tried,
29 of whom were convicted and 19 hanged. At least six more people died in prison.
Causes of the Salem witch trials included extreme religious faith, stress from a
growing population and its bad relations with Native Americans, and the narrow
opportunities for women and girls to participate in Puritan society. The Salem Witch
Trials were brought to a halt by the influence of Reverend Increase Mather, and after
the Governor’s wife was accused of being a witch.
SSUSH1 The student will describe (tell me about, list details) European settlement in North
America during the 17th century.
c. Explain (make plain, show me, justify) the development of the mid-Atlantic colonies;
include the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam and subsequent English takeover, and the
settlement of Pennsylvania.
Mid-Atlantic Colonial Growth (a/k/a Middle Colonies, consisting of New York,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware)
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Pennsylvania (meaning Penn’s Woods) Founded By Quakers Who Sought A Colony
Free Of Religious Persecution- Pennsylvania, located between New England and
Virginia, was a colony founded by the religiously tolerant Quakers led by William Penn,
who owned all of Pennsylvania and was known as its “proprietor” (owner). Quakers
believed in fair treatment of the Indians and so had a benevolent (kind, generous,
protective) relationship with them. King Charles II paid off a debt owed to William
Penn’s father by giving him Pennsylvania and the father willed it to his son.
New York originally founded by the Dutch for quick profit in the fur trade-New
York was settled by the Dutch, who called it New Amsterdam. In 1664, the British,
without bloodshed, took control of the colony and renamed it New York. A diverse
population kept alive this center of trade and commerce founded by the Dutch, whom the
British invited to remain there. With members of various British and Dutch churches,
New York also tolerated different religions, however the Dutch had persecuted the
Quakers.
New York an important commercial area-New York’s harbor and river systems
significantly contributed to its economic growth and importance. New York’s convenient
location along water trade routes allowed farmers to easily ship wheat and other
agricultural goods to markets in America and in Europe, as well as to import
manufactured goods from markets abroad. This allowed New York to grow into a major
commercial hub and one of the biggest cities in the British colonies.
SSUSH1 The student will describe (tell me about, list details) European settlement
in North America during the 17th century.
d. Explain (make plain, show me, justify) the reasons for French settlement of
Quebec.
French Colonial Development in North America
Quebec-France, like its European imperial rival, Great Britain (England), settled colonies
to secure the valuable natural resources of North America and export them to Europe.
Quebec was the first permanent French settlement in North America in 1608.
Spread Catholicism-The French instructed their colonists to spread the Catholic faith in
the New World. The British encouraged their colonists to establish Protestantism, but the
British were much more interested in the wealth of natural resources the colonists could
send back to Britain. Still, the reason many British colonists moved to the New World
was for the opportunity to establish their own religious societies built on their own
religious beliefs.
French Explorers Travel Rivers And Claim Interior Of North America-French
explorers travelled the Ohio River and the Mississippi Rivers and claimed all of this
territory for France. New Orleans was founded in 1718. The French had better relations
with the Indians than did the British as the French wanted to trade with the Indians
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(mostly furs) and did not try to own Indian lands. The French and English claims would
ultimately lead to armed conflict between the two empires.
SSUSH1 The student will describe (tell me about, list details) European settlement
in North America during the 17th century.
e. Analyze, (break down into parts) the impact of location and place on colonial
settlement, transportation, and economic development; include the southern,
middle, and New England colonies.
Impact of Geography on British North America
Significance of Geography on the British North American Colonies-Geography
played a major role in the development of the British colonies as well as the conflict with
the French Empire that ultimately led to the French and Indian War. French lands and
claims included the area west of the Appalachians and stretching to the Great Lakes,
down the Mississippi River, and its main tributaries. This geographic area hemmed in the
English colonies, and as well, gave the French control of the fertile and rich lands of the
Ohio River Valley (ORV), and the entire Mississippi River basin.
Rivers Were a Source of Control Over Agriculture and Acted as Major
Transportation Arteries-Rivers, and control of them, gave the owner of those rivers
significant power and authority over agricultural trade and transportation. With French
control of the ORV and the Mississippi River basin, British trade and agricultural
transportation of products was subject to French authority. This is why, both the French
and British disputed the ORV area, and especially why the British wanted control of the
ORV.
Ports Are Commercial Centers-Ports were also extremely important commercial
centers to both French and British colonial development. Quebec was on the St.
Lawrence River and provided access to the Atlantic Ocean. It was an important French
commercial trade center.
British North America Blessed With Many Ports-New England had the ports of
Newport in Rhode Island and Boston in Massachusetts. The Middle Colonies were
blessed with the ports of New York and Philadelphia. Southern states had ports in
Baltimore (Maryland), Jamestown and York (Virginia) Wilmington (North Carolina),
Charleston (South Carolina), and Savannah (Georgia). All of these ports were centers of
commercial trade and activity.
Importance of Ports to New England-Ports provided access to the oceanic
commercial trade while interior rivers were the earliest highways for trade. The
importance of New England and Middle Colony rivers and ports helped to create a
vibrant oceanic commercial trade for furs, lumber, and rum. There were few cash crops in
the New England and the Middle colonies that drove its commercial trade. Instead, a
large shipping industry developed in New England and the Middle Colonies to take
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advantage of the South’s cash crops that were valued in Europe, and the general
transportation of various commercial goods.
Importance Ports to the Southern Colonies-The Southern ports were important as
gathering points for cash crops for shipment overseas. Tobacco (Maryland, Virginia,
North Carolina) and indigo and rice (South Carolina and Georgia) were the primary
cash crops in the South before the growth of cotton in the late 18th Century. All the
colonies used their ports for importing needed goods and for export points of other
agricultural products.
GPS 2
SSUSH2 The student will trace the ways that the economy and society of British
North America developed.
a. Explain the development of mercantilism and the trans-Atlantic trade.
Standard Overview-All the colonies developed economies that allowed settlers to
survive and even prosper, yet each colony differed in its religious, cultural, and political
customs. The reasons for which settlers came, and geography, played a role in creating
these differences
Mercantilism
Mercantilism Is An Economic Theory-The founders of the British colonies were greatly
influenced by an economic theory known as mercantilism. This theory held that Earth had a
limited supply of wealth in the form of natural resources, especially gold and silver, so the
best way to become a stronger nation was to acquire the most wealth. Because the world’s
wealth was thought to be limited, the more one country had, the less any other country could
have. Consequently, as a nation became stronger and wealthier, its enemies became weaker
and poorer.
Under Mercantilist Theory Colonies Exist to Benefit the Mother Country (England)
English Colonies Exist To Benefit England As The “Mother Country”-Mercantilism
inspired the British government to view its American colonies as sources of wealth that
would make Britain wealthier and stronger. The more land the British could colonize in
America, the less land in the New World there would be for France, and other European
countries. The more American goods the British could sell to other countries, the less money
those countries would have for themselves. Great Britain would get stronger, and its imperial
European rivals would get weaker.
England’s Parliament Seeks to Regulate and Control Colonial Trade Across the
Atlantic (Trans-Atlantic Trade)
Trans-Atlantic Trade Inspired By Mercantilism-Mercantilism also inspired Parliament to
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control transatlantic trade with its American colonies through the passage of strict trade
laws called the Navigation Acts.
Navigation Acts Are Laws Controlling/Restricting Most Aspects of American Colonial
Trade- The Navigation Acts required the following:
• No country could trade with the colonies unless the goods were shipped in either
colonial or English ships.
• All vessels had to be operated by crews that were at least three-quarters colonial or
English.
• Colonies could only export certain products, and then, only to England.
• Goods traded between the colonies and Europe first had to pass through an English
port, be taxed, and if necessary, unloaded and then reloaded on an English or colonial
vessel for shipment to Europe. In other words, there could be no direct trade between
the English colonies and other European countries.
Some Americans, especially in New England, responded by becoming smugglers.
Navigation Acts Also Restrict American Colonial Manufacturing-The Navigation Acts,
besides restricting Colonial American trade also restricted the development of American
colonial manufacturing. These restrictions were designed to keep the colonies from
competing against Britain. Some Americans responded by becoming smugglers and creating
their own trade routes in violation of the Navigation Acts.
Impact of the Navigation Acts Undermined by England’s Glorious Revolution Which
Ushers In the Period of Salutary Neglect
The English Glorious Revolution Undermines the Navigation Acts-The impact of
Navigation Acts were undermined by England’s Glorious Revolution of 1688 that led to
a period called Salutary Neglect from about 1688-1763. The English monarchy was
stripped of its unlimited authority, and governmental authority was placed in the hands of the
Parliament, a representative assembly, when King James II was overthrown in 1688.
Parliament, fearful of James II raising a Catholic son to inherit the English throne, invited his
Protestant daughter, Mary, who was married to William, the Dutch Staatholder (King) to
become the King and Queen of England.
Dutch Forces Invade England-England was invaded by Dutch forces under the control of
William and Mary at the request of Parliament. When William of Orange (Holland)
successfully overthrew James II, Parliament wrote the English Bill of Rights (1689)
establishing England as a constitutional monarchy instead of an absolute monarchy. William
and his wife Mary, agreed to, and signed the English Bill of Rights, and became the new
King and Queen of England.
France Threatens War Over the New Arrangement-England, under William and Mary
at this point, turned its attention towards France whose European dynastic wars
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threatened England’s commercial and imperial interests. As a result of these European
wars, England paid less attention to enforcing the Navigation Acts in the colonies, and an era
was ushered in referred to as salutary neglect.
The Period of Salutary Neglect Allowed the American Colonies To Develop
Independent Trade Practices in the Caribbean and Europe and Control their Daily
Lives Politically and Socially
Salutary neglect lasted until 1763 (the end of the French and Indian War). England then
tried to re-impose its authority over colonial trade practices. This caused problems because
during the period of salutary neglect the colonies had developed their own independent trade
practices with Europe and the Caribbean as well as having come to control their daily
political life.
Colonial Trade Routes
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SSUSH2 The student will trace the ways that the economy and society of British North
America developed.
b. Describe the Middle Passage, growth of the African population, and AfricanAmerican culture.
Slavery and the Growth of African Culture in the American Colonies
Slavery and the African Population in Colonial America Grows to Satisfy Southern
Agricultural Labor Needs-As tobacco farmers and other Southern cash-crop farmers
prospered, they greatly expanded the size of their farms. In the south these large farms were
called “plantations.” There were never enough workers available to plant, grow, and harvest
the crops, so plantation owners turned to African slaves to do this work. Many white
colonists believed every black person was a savage who needed to be taken care of by white
people.
Slaves Introduced At Jamestown In 1619-When the Virginia Company founded
Jamestown in 1607, there were no African slaves in British North America. Twenty slaves
arrived in 1619. By 1700 there were thousands of African slaves throughout the British
colonies. The vast majority of these slaves, however, were located in the southern colonies,
where they supplied the labor required to support the regions agriculturally based economy.
Large plantations in South Carolina and Georgia grew rice and indigo as cash crops.
Triangular Trade Route Develops Between England, Africa, and the New World and
back to England
The Middle Passage of the Trans-Atlantic Trade carries Slaves to the Caribbean and
the American Colonies-The sea voyage that carried Africans to North America was called
the Middle Passage because it was the middle portion of a three-way voyage made by the
slave ships. First, British ships loaded with rum, cloth, and other English goods sailed to
Africa, where they were traded for Africans originally enslaved by other Africans. Then, in
the Middle Passage, the slaves would be transported to the New World. The crew would buy
tobacco and other American goods using profits they made from selling the slaves in the
colonies, and they would ship the tobacco and goods back to Britain. This process was
repeated for decades and formed the triangular trade route.
Horrendous Conditions Endured by Slaves during the Middle Passage-It was said that
people in the colonial port cities could smell the slave ships arriving before they could see
them. The slaves were packed like bundles of firewood. About two of every ten slaves died
during the passage. Disease and sickness were common.
African Americans Develop A Vibrant Culture in the New World
African American Culture Develops in the American Colonies-In America, slaves
attempted to “make the best” of their lives while living under the worst of circumstances.
Slave communities were rich with music, dance, basket weaving, and pottery making.
Enslaved Africans brought with them the arts and crafts skills of their various tribes. Indeed,
there could be a hundred slaves working on one farm and each slave might come from a
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different tribe, and a different part of Africa.
SSUSH2 The student will trace the ways that the economy and society of British North
America developed.
c. Identify Benjamin Franklin as a symbol of social mobility and individualism.
Benjamin Franklin as Representative of American Colonial Social Mobility
Benjamin Franklin Represents Individualism and Social Mobility-Benjamin Franklin,
along with George Washington, is one of the best known of America’s Founding Fathers.
Benjamin Franklin: A self-Made Man-Franklin was born into a poor Boston family in
1706. At age 12, he became an apprentice to one of his brothers, who was a printer. At age
17, Franklin broke the law by running away to Philadelphia to start a life of his own
choosing, independent from his Boston family.
Learns Printing Trade in England-A few months later he sailed to London to gain more
experience in the printing business. He returned to Philadelphia in 1726 as an experienced
printer, writer, and businessman.
Benjamin Franklin Epitomizes (an example of) Individualism and Social MobilityThroughout his life, Franklin sought ways to improve himself (individualism) and to rise in
society (social mobility). Over his 84-year life, Franklin succeeded in making himself one of
the world’s leading authors (Poor Richard’s Almanack, The Pennsylvania Gazette),
philosophers (American Philosophy Society), scientists (electricity), inventors (bifocals, the
urinary catheter, the Franklin Stove, the lightning rod), and politicians (Albany Plan of Union
proponent, member of the Continental Congress, Declaration of Independence signer,
Ambassador to France during the American Revolution, U. S. Constitution signer).
SSUSH2 The student will trace the ways that the economy and society of British North
America developed.
d. Explain the significance of the Great Awakening.
The First Great Awakening (1730-1750) and its Significance
The Great Awakening: America’s First Spontaneous Mass Movement-Christian worship
changed in the northeastern colonies in the 1730s, 1740s, and 1750s. Ministers said people
would feel God’s love only if they admitted their sins.
The Great Awakening Fosters a Personal Relationship with God-People were told that
each religious should seek his or her own personal and emotional relationship with God, and
that doing this was more important than the Puritan idea of congregations gathering together
to hear intellectual sermons. Great Awakening ministers (George Whitehead, William and
Gilbert Tennant) attracted enormous audiences and often traveled from colony to colony to
preach to anyone who wanted to listen, regardless of what church he or she might belong to.
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Influence of the Great Awakening-Christianity grew, although established churches
(Anglican, New England Puritan churches like the Congregationalists) lost members to the
new way of Christian worship and the Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterian churches that
benefitted from the Great Awakening. Some preachers said American society had become as
corrupt as the English society the colonists’ ancestors had escaped. As a result, some people
started saying that America needed to cut its ties with Britain to keep its religion pure.
Significance of the First Great Awakening-There were several major impacts of the First
Great Awakening:
1) it challenged and under-mined the old authority of the Puritan/Anglican and
Congregational Churches
2) new and more democratic churches sprang up like the Baptists, Methodists, and
Presbyterians whose parishioners (male) elected and voted on church affairs;
(3 the Great Awakening further led to a greater interest in education as the new
churches created colleges by which to train ministers for their respective faiths
(Rutgers, Brown, Dartmouth, Kings College (Columbia);
4) it tended to undermine the concept of traditional authority such that it led Americans
to be more receptive to questioning their political ties to a far away King and
Parliament; and,
5) the message of the Great Awakening was liberty and freedom of conscience
regarding how one would believe.
GPS 3
SSUSH3 The student will explain the primary causes of the American Revolution.
a. Explain how the end of Anglo-French imperial competition as seen in the French and
Indian War and the 1763 Treaty of Paris laid the groundwork for the American
Revolution.
Standard Overview- The primary cause of the American Revolution was the growing belief
among the colonists that their rights as Englishmen were being violated. This belief
originated in the lingering effects of the French and Indian War and led to a period called the
Road to Revolution-1763-1776.
French and English Fight for Empire in North America
French and Indian War is a Clash of Two Empires-The French and Indian War resulted
from a long-simmering imperial rivalry between Great Britain and France and their
competition for territory in North America. The French and Indian War broke out in 1754
when Great Britain challenged the French for control of the land that is now Ohio and
western Pennsylvania (the Ohio River Valley area).
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Most Native American Tribes Support the French-Native Americans tended to support
the French because, as fur traders, the French built forts rather than permanent settlements.
The French did not try to take Native American lands. Great Britain eventually won the war
by concentrating the war effort in North America and stationing nearly 50,000 troops in the
colonies during the war.
The War Goes Global and is Known as the Seven Years War
The War Goes Global and is Known as the Seven Years War and Involves France,
Spain, England-The French and Indian War became a global war known as the Seven Years
War.
Britain Incurs a Massive National Debt Winning the War and Begins to Directly Tax
the American Colonies to Pay Off the Debt And This Creates tension and Friction
Britain Runs Up a Massive National Debt Defeating the French and Spanish-England
ran up a massive national debt defeating the French and Spanish and turned to the colonies to
obtain tax revenue to reduce the national debt. England’s policy of direct taxation on the
American Colonies lead to friction and tension between the colonists on the one hand,
and Parliament and the King on the other hand.
SSUSH3 The student will explain the primary causes of the American Revolution.
b. Explain colonial response to such British actions as the Proclamation of 1763, the
Stamp Act, and the Intolerable Acts, as seen in Sons and Daughters of Liberty and
Committees of Correspondence.
Causative Events On The Road to Revolution: 1763-1776
The War Ends in 1763-The Treaty of Paris (1763), which ended the French and Indian
War, forced France to turn over control of Canada to Great Britain. France also surrendered
all of its claims to all land east of the Mississippi River, with the exception of the city of New
Orleans. Additionally, the treaty gave the British government control of all of Britain’s
American colonies.
Americans Resent Britain Trying to Control their Political Lives After Self GoverningThe colonists objected to the loss of control over their own affairs, and some Americans
began to think about an American revolution. Tensions grew when Parliament passed laws to
tax the colonists to pay for the cost of keeping a large standing army in North America that
would protect both Britain’s possessions and the American colonists from attacks. The
Americans did not feel the standing army was necessary since France had been defeated and
forced to give up all of her North American possessions.
King Seeks to Restrict American Colonial Western Migration
The Proclamation Of 1763 Attempts To Restrict American Westward MovementTensions between England and the American colonies increased with the Proclamation of
1763, by which Americans were forbidden from settling westward, beyond the Appalachian
14
Mountains. This Proclamation, announced by King George III, was a British effort to limit
conflicts between Native Americans and American colonists. However, Americans began to
believe that the King and Parliament did not care about the needs of Americans and they
ignored the Proclamation and continued to move westward.
Colonial Resistance To British Acts-Britain’s American colonists believed the king and
Parliament were violating their rights as Englishmen. Among the rights they felt were being
violated were protection from direct taxation without representation, the right to a trial by a
jury of their peers, protection from searches without warrants, and protection from having
troops quartered on their property.
The Stamp Act and the Intolerable Acts Lead to Colonial Resistance
Parliamentary Taxation Measures-Parliamentary actions to tax the colonists and to enforce
the tax laws provoked a decidedly negative reaction from the American colonists that
eventually led to open rebellion. These actions included the Stamp Act and the Intolerable
Acts.
 The Stamp Act is first direct tax imposed by Britain- required the colonists to print
newspapers, legal documents, playing cards, and so forth, on paper bearing special
stamps (similar to postage stamps). Buying the stamped paper was the equivalent of
paying a tax. Some colonists formed groups called the Sons of Liberty to stop
distribution of the stamped paper. Nine colonies sent representatives to the Stamp Act
Congress, which sent a formal protest to the king.
~ Children of Liberty-American colonists opposed to British authority in
Massachusetts formed a secret organization called the Sons of Liberty. To show
their dislike of British rule, they damaged British property, including government
offices and the homes of wealthy supporters of the British.
~ The Daughters of Liberty joined the Sons of Liberty in protesting British rule
in North America. They wove homespun fabric to make clothes and other goods
so the colonists would not need to rely on British imports.
 The Coercive Acts (a/k/a Intolerable Acts) consist of four separate parliamentary
Acts-The Intolerable Acts (as referred to in America) closed the port of Boston as
punishment for the Boston Tea Party. These acts also allowed British officials
accused of major crimes to be tried in England and forced the colonists to house
British troops on their property as well as declaring martial law in Massachusetts and
closing down colonial courts. Colonists called for the First Continental Congress to
protest these actions and formed colonial militias to resist enforcement of these acts.
Committees of Correspondence Form to Inform the Other Colonies Regarding British
Actions In Massachusetts
Committees of Correspondence created to keep all the colonies informed-Much of the
planning for the First Continental Congress was carried out by the Committees of
Correspondence. These committees were formed because American patriots could not
15
communicate publicly. One committee would exchange written communications with another
committee within or between the colonies. Committees of correspondence were the first
organization linking the colonies in their opposition to British rule and were designed to
keep all the colonies informed of what British authorities were doing in Massachusetts
and other colonies.
SSUSH3 The student will explain the primary causes of the American Revolution.
c. Explain the importance of Thomas Paineʼs Common Sense to the movement for
independence.
Thomas Paine’s Pamphlet—Common Sense—Persuades Americans In Favor of
Independence
Common Sense impacts argument in favor of Revolution and Independence-In January
1776, patriot philosopher Thomas Paine published Common Sense. This small pamphlet
had a significant effect on colonists, and moved many Americans to support independence
from Great Britain. Colonists were persuaded by the logic of Paine’s arguments, which
included that the Atlantic Ocean was too wide to allow Britain to rule America better than an
American government could, that it was foolish to think an island could rule a continent, and
that the idea of Britain being America’s “mother country” made Britain’s actions all the
worse because no mother would treat her children so badly as England was now treating the
Americans.
SSUSH4 The student will identify (name the characteristics or properties) the
ideological, military, and diplomatic aspects of the American Revolution.
a. Explain, (tell about; tell what & why) the language, organization, and intellectual
sources of the Declaration of Independence; include the writing of John Locke and the
role of Thomas Jefferson.
Standard Overview-The primary cause of the American Revolution was the growing belief
among the colonists that their rights as Englishmen were being violated. This belief
originated in the lingering effects of the French and Indian War, which led to a series of
events during period called the Road to Revolution: 1763-1776.
Enlightenment Philosophy Undergirds The American Revolution and Its Justifications
Enlightenment Philosopher John Locke Influences American Revolutionary
Thought-John Locke (English) believed that people had natural rights, or rights given
to them by God. These God given natural rights were the right to life, liberty, and
property (which became known as the pursuit of happiness in the Declaration of
Independence).
People Form a Social Contract wherein Government Leaders are Bound to Protect
the People’s God-Given Natural Rights-Locke, and a French enlightenment
philosopher-Jean Jacque Rousseau, argued that the people entered into a social
contract with their leaders in which the people consented to give up some of their
16
individual power to their government leaders in exchange for the government’s
protection of the people’s God given natural rights.
The Social Contract Formed, Expressed, and Shown By the Consent of the People
(the governed)-Locke also advocated and argued that the consent of the governed was
needed for a leader to be legitimate, and that the people had the right to overthrow any
government that failed to protect the people’s natural rights. His work on governance
heavily influenced the writers of the Declaration of Independence.
French Enlightenment Philosopher Rousseau also Argues for Consent of the
Governed-Rousseau believed that the people allowed government to exist and rule only
by their consent to be governed.
The Social Contract Chart
Ideas of Natural Rights (Life, Liberty & Pursuit of Happiness) and Consent of the
Governed Are Key Elements of the Declaration of Independence
Declaration of Independence Incorporates Enlightenment Ideas-The Declaration of
Independence is one of the most important documents in American history. Thomas Jefferson
wrote the first draft and then made revisions suggested by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin,
and others. Because the declaration addressed a worldwide audience, its language was
made simple and direct so people everywhere would understand, and sympathize with the
colonists’ revolutionary cause. The text borrowed phrases from the influential writings of
English philosopher John Locke. This helped convince readers that American independence
was supported by the ideas of a famous English philosopher.
The Thematic and Organizational Structure of The Declaration of Independence
Content of the Declaration of Independence-First, the Declaration of Independence begins
by explaining the philosophical and legal reasons for seeking independence from Britain.
Second, Jefferson then catalogs numerous examples of how King George III (and
Parliament) violated the natural and legal rights of the colonists. Third, the Declaration offers
17
a discussion of the Americans’ many unsuccessful attempts to get relief from Britain and
fourth, the Declaration ends with the conclusion that the only way for Americans to have
their natural, God given rights restored to them is to restore those natural rights themselves
by declaring independence from Britain and by controlling their own government. Fifth, the
signers pledge their fortunes, their sacred honor, and their lives to the revolutionary cause of
restoring their God given natural rights.
GPS 4
SSUSH4 The student will identify (name the characteristics or properties) the
ideological, military, and diplomatic aspects of the American Revolution.
b. Explain (tell about; tell what & why) the reason for and significance (importance) of
the French alliance and foreign assistance (help) and the roles of Benjamin Franklin
and the Marquis de Lafayette.
Significance of the Battle of Saratoga
French Alliance Comes after the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga and is the
turning point of the American Revolution-A major turning point in the revolutionary war
was the decision by France to support the American cause via the Treaty of Alliance-1778.
This decision came after a Continental Army, commanded by General Horatio Gates defeated
and caused the surrender of an entire British Army commanded by Lt. Gen. Johnny
“Gentlemen Johnny” Burgoyne.
Battle of Saratoga Enables Benjamin Franklin to Convince France to Support
American Independence-Benjamin Franklin, serving as the American ambassador to
France, convinced the French to form a military alliance with the Americans, and France
agreed to wage war against Britain until America gained independence. Facing both an
American and a European war, Britain would need to pull troops out of America to fight
closer to home.
French Support Critical to The American Revolutionary Cause-Before the alliance in
1778, Franklin also prevailed upon the French for muskets, ammunition, and money to help
support the American Revolution. This early French support was critical to the early stages of
the American Revolution.
The Marquis de Lafayette Personifies the American-French Alliance
The Marquis de Lafayette Represents French Support-French support for America was
personified in the person of the Marquis de Lafayette. A young Frenchman of noble birth,
he was made a Major General in the Continental army and he commanded American troops
and fought battles in many states. Lafayette also returned to France for a time to work with
Franklin and the French king on how to win American independence. Washington looked
upon Lafayette like a son, and Lafayette’s advice was critical to Washington’s decision to
move his army to Yorktown in 1781 for the final major battle of the revolutionary war.
SSUSH4 The student will identify (name the characteristics or properties) the
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ideological, military, and diplomatic aspects of the American Revolution.
c. Analyze (break into pieces and think through) George Washington as a military
leader; include the creation of a professional military and the life of a common
soldier, and describe the significance (importance) of the crossing of the Delaware
River and Valley Forge.
Washington Proves to be an Able Commander Who Realizes He Needs to Keep his
Army Intact and Outlast the British
George Washington and the Continental Army-When the American Revolution began,
George Washington was named commander in chief of the Continental Army by the Second
Continental Congress. Washington displayed extraordinary leadership abilities in the role.
Washington reorganized the army, secured additional equipment and supplies, and started a
training program to turn inexperienced Continental recruits into a professional military.
The Common Soldier’s Life-Life was hard for the common soldier in the Continental Army.
Enlistments lasted from one to three years, and the 13 states differed greatly in how well and
how often they paid their soldiers, housed them when they were not on the march, and
supplied them with food, clothing, and equipment. These issues undermined American
soldier’s morale, as did the army’s stern discipline, the chances of being wounded or killed,
and British victories. 1776 was known as the year of “retreat and defeat.” The British army
was initially better trained, better equipped, and more professional than the American Army,
although Washington worked hard to rectify these issues.
Washington Took Calculated Military Risks to Improve Army Morale
Washington Recognizes the Poor Morale of troops and takes action to save the ArmyOn Christmas night in 1776, Washington led his troops to a victory that was a turning point
for America and the Revolutionary War. As a snowstorm pounded Washington and his
soldiers, the Continental Army crossed the Delaware River to stage a surprise attack on a
town fortified and occupied by Hessian (German) mercenaries fighting for the British at
Trenton, NJ. This victory proved Washington’s army could fight an experienced European
army and provided the American’s a much needed victory to boost morale after a series of
defeats inflicted by the British army on the Continental army. As a consequence of this
crucial American victory, many of Washington’s soldiers whose enlistments were about to
expire, re-enlisted in the Army.
Washington Begins to Professionalize the Army at Valley Forge during the Winter of
1777
The Valley Forge Winter of 1777 transforms the Continental Army-Washington and his
troops spent the winter of 1777–1778 in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania having retreated there
after losing the Battle of Brandywine and losing the Continental Congresses capital at
Philadelphia to the British. The Continental Army spent six months there.
Problems with Food, Disease, Housing, and Equipment at Valley Forge-The Continental
army’s problems with wages, housing, food, clothing, and equipment were at their worst
19
during the Valley Forge winter. Disease spread throughout the camp, increasing the suffering
of the 12,000 men. As conditions worsened, almost 4,000 soldiers were too weak or ill to
fight. Yet that winter Washington ordered an intense training program—similar to a modern
boot camp—that turned the Continental Army into a capable and self-assured infantry.
Prussian Drillmaster, the Baron von Steuben Trains the Army in European Battle
Formations-The Army training program was run by Baron von Steuben, a Prussian
drillmaster recommended to Washington by Benjamin Franklin. He oversaw the training of
the American Continental Army at Valley Forge in European style battle tactics and
formations. This training allowed the American Army to fight the British on an equal footing
beginning with the Battle of Monmouth in 1778.
SSUSH4 The student will identify (name the characteristics or properties) the
ideological, military, and diplomatic aspects of the American Revolution.
d. Explain (tell about; tell what & why) the role of geography at the Battle of Yorktown,
the role of Lord Cornwallis, and the Treaty of Paris, 1783.
Geography Influences the Battle of Yorktown and Washington Defeats British General
Lord Cornwallis
American Victory Comes with the defeat of Lord Cornwallis at the Battle of YorktownBritain’s plan to counter the French–American alliance was to have General Lord Charles
Cornwallis move the war to the southern states to try to separate those colonies from
American Revolutionary forces in the North. Cornwallis immediately succeeded in a series of
British victories, but the Americans were able to prevent a complete victory in the South.
Cornwallis Goes to Yorktown in 1781 to Resupply after a Major Battle in North
Carolina-Cornwallis pursued the American Southern Army commanded by Nathaniel
Greene into Virginia, but met with heavy resistance and after a very costly victory against
Greene at Guilford Courthouse in North Carolina needed to rest and resupply. Wishing to
maintain communications with Great Britain by sea, the British general retreated to the
coastal town of Yorktown.
Yorktown Backed Up to the York River on the North and the Chesapeake Bay to the
East-Cornwallis’ forces were attacked and surrounded by the combined French and
American armies and a French naval fleet. Cut off from any reinforcements, Cornwallis was
forced to surrender, and the last major battle of the American Revolution came to an end and
the war ended in North America two years later. The Battle of Yorktown was the last
major battle of the Revolutionary War. Geography played a major role in enabling the
American and French forces to surround and defeat the British Army at Yorktown.
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The Geography of The Battle of Yorktown
Treaty of Paris-1783 Ends Revolutionary War On Very Favorable Terms to The New
United States
1783 Treaty of Paris Ends the Revolutionary War on Favorable Terms for the
Americans-The 1783 Treaty of Paris ended the American Revolutionary War. The United
States won its independence from Great Britain and gained control of land stretching from
the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi River and from the Great Lakes to the borders of Spanish
Florida. Britain ceded Florida to Spain, and certain African and Caribbean colonies to France.
GPS 5
SSUSH5 The student will explain (tell about; tell what & why) specific events and key
ideas that brought about the adoption and implementation of the United States
Constitution.
a. Explain (tell about; tell what & why) how weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation
and Daniel Shay’s Rebellion led to a call for a stronger central government.
Standard Overview-Between the end of the American Revolution in 1783, and the
beginning of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, the survival of the United States was in
question in large part because the government created by the Articles of Confederation was
very weak with the individual states having more power at the expense of the national
government.
Articles of Confederation Create a Weak National Government-The Articles of
Confederation were written during the American Revolution and finally adopted in 1781.
The Articles of Confederation was the document creating the first national government of the
United States. The Articles of Confederation reflected Americans’ fear of a powerful
21
national government.
No National Executive Office, No National Judiciary, No Taxing Ability-As a result, the
Articles created a government that had no executive branch and that lacked the power to tax,
regulate commerce, or establish a national currency. The Articles gave individual states more
power than the national government had. As a result, conflicts among the states threatened
the existence of the nation.
Massachusetts Farmers Rebel against The State and Capture a Federal Armory
Located in Massachusetts and the National Government Cannot Protect Itself
Shay’s Rebellion Exposes the Weakness of the Articles of Confederation GovernmentThe political weakness of the United States and its potential for collapse left it vulnerable to
attack by foreign countries and convinced many influential Americans to support a
Constitutional Convention. Political leaders were further motivated by Shays’ Rebellion,
which they felt set a precedent for mob rule. Daniel Shays led more than a thousand farmers
who, like him, were burdened with personal debts caused by economic problems stemming
from the states’ Revolutionary War debts. Shays and his men seized a federal arsenal in
Massachusetts. This was just one of many protests that debt-ridden farmers made during this
period. Without the power to tax, America’s weak government could not repair the national
economy.
The Critical Time-The governmental era under the Articles of Confederation between 17771787 was known as The Critical Time because the nation might not survive.
SSUSH5 The student will explain (tell about; tell what & why) specific events and key
ideas that brought about the adoption and implementation of the United States
Constitution.
b. Evaluate (examine, solve or find the value of) the major arguments of the antiFederalists and Federalists during the debate on ratification of the Constitution, as put
forth in The Federalist Papers concerning the form of government, factions, checks and
balances, and the power of the executive, including the roles of Alexander Hamilton and
James Madison.
Call for a Convention To Revise the Articles of Confederation
George Washington Supports Call for a Constitutional Convention- A convention was
called to revise the Articles of Confederation. Responding to Shays’ Rebellion, George
Washington supported the establishment of a stronger central government. In May 1787, he
was elected president of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, where he and the
Founding Fathers created a federalist form of government for the United States rather than
just trying to revise the Articles of Confederation. Two views of a new government emerge.
Federalism Means Shared Political Power Between National and State Governments
Federalism Means Shared Political Power-Federalism is a system of dividing power
between a national (or federal) government and state governments. Under the Articles of
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Confederation the states had the greater of the powers and this reflected the colonial/state
fears of an overly powerful government where power was concentrated in the hands of a few
and that would undermine state and individual liberties and rights.
Two Opposing Camps: Those who want a Strong National Government and Those Who
Want Strong State Governments
Federalists Support a Strong National Government-The Federalists (those persons
favoring a strong centralized government) focused their arguments on the inadequacies of
national government under the Articles of Confederation and on the benefits of national
government as formed by the Constitution. They were also much more favorably disposed
toward commerce than were the Anti-Federalists (persons favoring stronger state
governments and a weaker federal government and who were generally supporters of
agriculture). Federalists argued that a strong central government would foster the commercial
growth of the new country.
Key Federalist Supporters-Businessmen, bankers, commercial interests, lawyers, and other
professionals supported the federalist position of a strong national government. Key political
leaders were George Washington, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and Benjamin
Franklin.
Anti-Federalist Fear a Strong Government Abusing Individual Liberties and Want
Stronger State Governments-The Anti-Federalists feared the power of a strong central
government. Anti-Federalists worried the rights of the common people, like farmers, would
be suppressed by those who held power. Anti-Federalists were also concerned that a strong
national government would infringe on individual liberty for which the Revolution had been
fought.
Key Anti-Federalist Supporters-Farmers, agricultural interests, people who feared large
powerful governments supported the anti-federalist cause. Political supporters included Sam
Adams, Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, and John Dickinson.
Federalists (supporters of the new Constitution) and Anti-Federalists (opponents of
the new Constitution) Argue the Merits of Ratifying the Proposed ConstitutionWriting the Constitution was just the first step in creating the new government. Before
the Constitution could take effect, the states had to accept, or ratify, it. As soon as the
contents of the Constitution were published, a group of influential people spoke out
against it. These people came to be known as the anti-Federalists. They believed the
government created by the Constitution would be too powerful and would eliminate the
power of the states. They also argued that the Constitution did not specifically describe
the rights guaranteed to the states and to each citizen
Hamilton, Madison, and Jay author the Federalist Papers to Support ratification of the
Constitution
The Federalist Papers were written in Support of Ratification of the ConstitutionAlexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay were the authors of the Federalist
Papers. Alexander Hamilton wrote the majority of The Federalist Papers.
23
The authors Used the Papers to Discuss key Issues Warranting the New ConstitutionThe Federalist Papers communicated the central ideas of the Federalists i.e., the benefits of a
union between the states; the chaotic problems with the confederation as it stood at the time;
the importance of an energetic, effective federal government; and a defense of the
republicanism (representative government aspects) of the proposed Constitution. The
Federalist Papers made a persuasive case for a stronger federal government‘s role in
preserving peace, order, and securing the liberty of a large republic. The federalists believed
that a weak union of the states would make the country more vulnerable to internal and
external dissension, including civil war, and possible invasion from foreign powers.
Federalists Promise to Protect Individual and State Rights in order to Secure
Ratification of the Constitution-To overcome the anti-Federalist argument that the
Constitution failed to include a statement of states’ rights and individuals’ rights,
Madison created the Bill of Rights, which would be added to the Constitution after the
Constitution was ratified. The Federalist papers, the promise of the Bill of Rights, and the
efforts of Federalists convinced a majority of voters to support the Constitution. It was
eventually ratified and became the basis for all law, rights, and governmental power in
the United States.
SSUSH5 The student will explain (tell about; tell what & why) specific events and key
ideas that brought about the adoption and implementation of the United States
Constitution.
c. Explain (tell about; tell what & why) the key features of the Constitution, specifically
the Great Compromise, separation of powers (influence of Montesquieu), limited
government, and the issue of slavery.
The Constitutional Convention And The Key Compromises Facing Delegates
Issue Over Power in the Proposed Government Stymies New Government Efforts-One
great issue facing the delegates to the Constitutional Convention was how different-sized
states could have equal representation in the new federal government.
Virginia Plan advanced By James Madison Favors Large, Populous States-States with
large populations supported the Virginia Plan, a plan to create a legislative branch in which
governmental representatives were assigned based on each state’s population.
New Jersey Plan Favors Small States By Giving All States Equal Votes-States with
smaller populations supported the New Jersey Plan, a plan to create a legislative branch in
which all states were equally represented.
Roger Sherman Proposes Compromise of a Two-House (Bicameral) Legislature Known
as the Connecticut Plan (a/k/a The Great Compromise) To Break the Constitutional
Convention Deadlock By Giving Each Side Something
Roger Sherman present the Connecticut Plan known more familiarly as the Great
Compromise that Creates a Bi-cameral Legislature-Delegates to the Constitutional
Convention settled the issue of representation in Congress by approving the Great
24
Compromise. This compromise helped “save” the Constitution by settling the dispute
between states with large populations and states with small populations. The compromise
called for the creation of a legislature with two chambers: a House of Representatives,
with representation based on population, and a Senate, with equal representation for all
states.
Northern Slavery Compromise Designed To Reduce Southern Political Power
Slavery Issue Leads to 3/5ths Compromise-Another divisive and controversial issue that
confronted delegates to the Constitutional Convention was slavery. Though slavery existed in
all the states, southern states depended on slave labor because their economies were based on
producing cash crops. When it became clear that states with large populations might have
more representatives in the new national government, states with large slave populations
demanded to be allowed to count their slaves as a part of their population. Northern states
resisted. Both sides compromised by allowing the states to count three-fifths of their slaves
when calculating their entire population.
No Laws Respecting Slavery for Twenty Years Is Part of Slavery Compromise-Also, to
protect the practice of slavery, states with large numbers of slaves demanded that the new
government allow for the continuation of the slave trade for 20 years and that northern
states return runaway slaves to their owners. Delegates to the Constitutional Convention
agreed to these demands in order to create the new national government.
French Philosopher Baron de Montesquieu’s Enlightenment Concepts of Separation of
Powers Built Into New Constitution
Montesquieu’s Ideas of Separation of Powers Incorporated into Constitution-Despite the
fact that most delegates to the Constitutional Convention believed the government designed
by the Articles of Confederation had to be replaced, many still feared strong central
governments. To reassure people that the new government would not be too powerful, the
framers of the Constitution created a limited government with divided powers. The framers
were greatly influenced by the ideas of the famed French political thinker the Baron de
Montesquieu. The rights guaranteed to U.S. citizens by the Constitution limited the power of
the government.
How Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances Incorporated into the
Constitutional Framework-Powers were divided in two ways within the new government.
First, power was divided between national and state governments. Second, the power of the
executive branch was weakened because it was shared with the legislative and judicial
branches. For example, the legislature can override a presidential veto of a bill, and the
Supreme Court can rule that a bill signed by the president is unconstitutional. To further
safeguard against an abuse of power, the Constitution gave each branch of government a way
to check and balance the power of the other branches. An example of these checks and
balances would be the president’s power to veto laws passed by Congress and Congresses
ability to override the veto with a two-thirds vote.
25
SSUSH5 The student will explain (tell about; tell what & why) specific events and key
ideas that brought about the adoption and implementation of the United States
Constitution.
d. Analyze (break into pieces and think through) how the Bill of Rights serves as a
protector of individual and state’s rights.
The Bill of Rights Protects Both States’ and Individuals’ Rights.
First Amendment: Guarantees freedom of religion, of speech, and of the press, and the
right to petition the government;
Second Amendment: Guarantees the right of individuals to possess firearms;
Third Amendment: Declares that the government may not require people to house
soldiers during peacetime;
Fourth Amendment: Protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures and
requires warrants based on oath and probable cause issued by a judge;
Fifth Amendment: Guarantees that no one may be deprived of God given natural rights
of life, liberty, or property without due process of law;
Sixth Amendment: Guarantees the right to a trial by jury of ones peers in criminal cases,
and the right to be represented by an attorney;
Seventh Amendment: Guarantees the right to trial by jury in most civil cases;
Eighth Amendment: Prohibits excessive bails, fines, and punishments;
Ninth Amendment: Declares that rights not mentioned in the Constitution belong to the
people;
Tenth Amendment: Declares that powers not given to the national government belong
to the states or to the people respectively.
The Bill of Rights acts as a limitation on the power of the national federal
government against an abuse of individual liberties and of the political rights of the
states.
SSUSH5 The student will explain (tell about; tell what & why) specific events and
key ideas that brought about the adoption and implementation of the United States
Constitution.
e. Explain, (tell about; tell what & why) the importance of the Presidencies of
26
George Washington and John Adams; include the Whiskey Rebellion, nonintervention in Europe, and the development of political parties (Alexander
Hamilton).
Washington Sets Precedents for Future Leaders: Use of Cabinet as Advisors,
Neutrality in Foreign Affairs
Presidency of George Washington-George Washington was elected the first president of
the United States. He established important patterns for future presidents to follow or
“precedents”. Developments that altered the course of the history of the U.S. government
took place during his administration. Washington favored nonintervention in Europe (no
alliances) and avoided siding with France against Great Britain (neutrality). Instead, the
United States persuaded Britain to forgive many pre-Revolutionary debts and to drop certain
restrictions on American trade with British colonies in the Americas in the Jay Treaty of
1796. This ushered in an era of booming trade with Britain. When the French declared war on
all the European monarchies, it expected American support because of the 1778 Treaty of
Alliance. President Washington, correctly claimed, that the Treaty of Alliance was defensive
in nature and since France was the avowed aggressor, the United States would remain
neutral. This was Washington’s Neutrality Proclamation.
Washington Insures the Supremacy of Federal Over State Law By Using Force To
Quell Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion Represents a Challenge to Federal Law-Washington’s new
government persuaded Congress to pass taxes on liquor to help pay the states’ debt from the
Revolutionary War. The tax hit the small whiskey-makers in western settlements particularly
hard because they made liquor using excess crops of grain in order to make it easier to
transport. They even used whiskey as a medium of exchange. The Whiskey Rebellion
resulted when, up and down areas west of the Appalachians, armed violence broke out as
farmers frightened and attacked federal tax collectors. George Washington and Alexander
Hamilton led a large militia force into the western Pennsylvania counties and put down the
rebellion. Washington’s response showed his constitutional authority to enforce the law and
established the supremacy of federal law. If Americans did not like a law, the way to
change it was to petition Congress peacefully. The Whiskey Rebellion was also significant
because it pointed out that regional or sectional interests may not coincide with national
interests or desires.
Political Parties, Opposed By Washington, Nonetheless Develop, During His Tenure In
Office Over How to Interpret The Constitution: Broadly or Strictly
Political Parties Develop During Washington’s Administration Over How to Interpret
the Constitution-Washington was the most influential and popular figure in the United
States. He increased the prestige of his administration by making Thomas Jefferson his
secretary of state and Alexander Hamilton his secretary of treasury. Despite their talents and
reputations, Jefferson and Hamilton had significant differences of opinion about the
legitimate power of the United States government. Jefferson believed that the national
government must limit its power to those areas described by the Constitution (strict
interpretation), while Hamilton wanted to expand the power of the government to
27
stabilize the nation and its economy (broad interpretation). When Washington announced
he would not seek a third term as president, the two men and their supporters attacked one
another in the press and competed to replace him. Things got so bad that, in his farewell
address, Washington warned about the dangers of political parties (factions).
Contrasting Constitutional Views of Hamilton and Jefferson. The two most influential
cabinet members were Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, each of whom had
distinctly different views of regarding the role of the federal government as noted in the
chart:
Views favored by Hamilton
Concentrating power in the federal
government
Fear of mob rule
Republic led by an educated elite
Loose interpretation of the Constitution
Bank of the United States constitutional
An economy based on shipping and
manufacturing
Payment of national and state debts (favors
creditors)
Supporters were: merchants,
manufacturers, large landowners;
investors/speculators; lawyers and clergy
Party: Federalist
Views favored by Jefferson
Sharing power with state and local
governments; limited national government
Fear of absolute power or ruler
Democracy of virtuous farmers and
tradesmen
Strict interpretation of the Constitution
Bank of the United States not authorized by
Constitution
An economy based on farming
Payment of only national debt (favors
debtors)
Supporters were: common, ordinary
people; farmers and trades people
Party: Democratic-Republicans
Federalist John Adams Pursues Neutrality But Fights an Undeclared War with France
and Opposes British Impressment (seizing) of American Sailors and Commercial Ships
Presidency of John Adams-The election of 1796 was a bitter contest between John Adams
and Thomas Jefferson, with Adams winning by a small margin. Like Washington, Adams set
examples (precedents) that influenced future presidents as well as the course of American
history. However, his administration was plagued by diplomatic conflicts with France (the X,
Y, Z Affair that led to the undeclared naval war with France) and Great Britain
(impressment of American sailors and merchant seaman) that crippled the nation’s
economy, and he received harsh political criticism from supporters of Vice President
Jefferson.
28
Adams and the Federalist Congress Pass Laws Deemed Unconstitutional By Jefferson
and His Party Sparking the Start of the Nullification Theory of Constitutional
Interpretation
Federalist Congress Sparks Constitutional Debate by Passing the Alien and Sedition
Acts of 1798-To aid Adams, Congress passed the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, laws that
increased citizenship requirements so that Jefferson and his followers could not receive
support from the immigrant community. The laws also made it a crime for newspapers to
print “untrue” or malicious criticism of the government.
Jefferson and Madison Argue the Nullification Theory in Response to the Alien and
Sedition Acts-To Jefferson supporters, the Federalist Congresses actions to stop criticism of
the government seemed to be a deliberate attempt to limit the rights of free speech and
the right to a free press. In response to the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, Jefferson and
Madison wrote the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions that argued that states could refuse
to enforce federal laws within their state boundaries that were clearly unconstitutional, and
with which the states did not agree. This was called the Nullification Theory. The
Nullification Theory was the beginning of the states’ rights concept later used by slavery
supporters in the South.
29
Domain II- The New Republic through Reconstruction
GPS 6-10
(This Domain will account for 19% of EOCT test questions, or approximately 15 of
80 questions)
GPS 6
SSUSH6 The student will analyze (break into pieces, think through, tell about the
parts) the impact (influence, consequence) of territorial expansion and population
growth and the impact (influence, consequence) of this growth in the early decades
of the new nation.
a. Explain (tell about; tell what & why, teach to someone else) the Northwest
Ordinanceʼs importance in the westward migration of Americans, and on slavery,
public education, and the addition of new states.
Standard Overview-In the decades after ratification of the Constitution, the United States
increased both in it physical size and in population. This expansion led to increased U.S.
interactions with other nations internationally and the indigenous Native American (Indian)
population.
Northwest Ordinance of 1787 Creates Pathway for New States to Enter the Union,
Prohibits Slavery, and Encourages Public Education in the Northwest Territory-The
first U.S. governmental territory outside the original states was the Northwest Territory,
which was created by the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. This law demonstrated to Americans
that their national government intended to encourage westward expansion, and that it would
do so by organizing new states that would, upon admission into the Union, be completely
equal members of the Union. The Northwest Ordinance also banned slavery in the
Northwest Territory. This law made the Ohio River the boundary line between free and
slave regions between the 13 states and the Mississippi River. Additionally, the Northwest
Ordinance mandated the establishment of public schools in the Northwest Territory.
The Land Ordinance of 1785 called for all of the federally owned western lands to be
surveyed into townships of 36 square mile plots. One plot or “township” was dedicated to
education. All of the land sold from the 16th township went to support local, public
education.
See the maps below for what a “surveyed township” looked like and the area of the U.
S. comprising the Northwest Territory and the states that were created out of the
Northwest Territory.
30
Kaneʼs U.S. History GHSGT Must Know Facts
Land Ordinance of 1785
Rectangular Land Survey!
Source: Edgar B. Wesley, Our United States:
Its History in Maps, Denoyer-Geppert (adapted)
SSUSH6 The student will analyze (break into pieces, think through, tell about the parts)
the impact (influence, consequence) of territorial expansion and population growth and
the impact (influence, consequence) of this growth in the early decades of the new
nation.
b. Describe (paint a word picture; provide details, show me) Jeffersonʼs diplomacy in
obtaining the Louisiana Purchase from France and the territory’s exploration by Lewis
and Clark.
The Size of the United States Doubles with the Louisiana Purchase of 1803-In the early
1800s, President Thomas Jefferson sent James Monroe to France to negotiate the purchase of
the important port city of New Orleans. The Mississippi River and the Port of New
Orleans were vital to American agricultural trade and interests. At the time, the French
ruler Napoleon controlled New Orleans, and much of the land west of the Mississippi River.
In 1803, Napoleon, who was at war with Britain and who needed money, agreed to sell to the
United States, not only the port of New Orleans, but also the entire Louisiana Territory for
$15 million.
The Louisiana Purchase Made Peacefully Through Diplomatic Negotiation-As a result of
this peaceful purchase of territory, the United States nearly doubled in geographic area.
Significantly however, President Jefferson did not feel he had the Constitutional authority to
31
“purchase” the territory from France, but he did so anyway, having the Senate agree to the
purchase after the fact. Thus, even though Jefferson was a strict constructionist of the
Constitution, believing in a limited government wherein the federal government’s power was
limited to what was specified in the Constitution, his actions nonetheless expanded the
powers of the presidency. Stated another way, President Jefferson, who believed in limiting
the power of the executive office, actually expanded that offices power by purchasing the
Louisiana Territory.
Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804-1806 Provides the U. S. with a Claim to the Oregon
Territory-Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore Louisiana and the
western lands all the way to the Pacific Ocean. On their 16-month expedition, Lewis and
Clark charted the trails west, mapped rivers and mountain ranges, wrote descriptions, and
collected samples of unfamiliar animals and plants, while recording facts and figures about
the various Native American tribes and customs west of the Mississippi River. The
expedition had a female Native American interpreter named Sacajawea. She greatly aided
Lewis and Clark in dealing with the many Indian tribes they encountered.
SSUSH6 The student will analyze (break into pieces, think through, tell about the parts)
the impact (influence, consequence) of territorial expansion and population growth and
the impact (influence, consequence) of this growth in the early decades of the new
nation.
c. Explain (tell about; tell what & why, teach to someone else) major reasons for the
War of 1812 and the significance of the war on the development of a national identity.
Standard Overview-President Madison became convinced that the British were deliberately
seeking to ruin American Commerce and asked Congress to declare war. There were four
major reasons justifying his request for a declaration of war.
Four Major Causes of the War of 1812-In 1812, America declared war on Great Britain,
which was already at war with France. Among the causes of this war, four stand out.
First, Americans objected to commercial restrictions Britain was militarily
enforcing that prevented neutral American merchants from trading with the
French.
Second, Americans were outraged by the British policy of impressment. Under this
policy, thousands of American sailors were forced against their will to serve in the
British navy after their merchant ships were captured at sea.
Third, Americans believed the British were giving military support to Native
Americans so they would fight to keep Americans from settling lands west of the
Appalachian Mountains.
Fourth, Americans wished to drive the British out of North America altogether by
conquering Canada while the British army was fighting the French in Europe.
32
Arms from British Canada were provided to Shawnee Indian Chief Tecumseh and his
brother, who was known as the Prophet. Tecumseh had formed an Indian confederacy of
some strength, but while he was gone his brother led the confederated tribes in a battle
against the U. S. The Indians were defeated by General William Henry Harrison, at the
Battle of Tippecanoe. The discovery afterward of British supplied weaponry caused many to
seek war with Britain including a young Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun who led a faction
in Congress called the “war-hawks.”
America Unprepared for the War of 1812-America was grossly unprepared for war. While
the U.S. Navy had some initial success, this success merely caused Britain to blockade
American ports such that by 1813 all American shipping was bottled up and virtually useless.
Americans did take the war to Canada and burned the government buildings in York, but
were not successful in seizing Canadian territory. Britain retaliated by burning and destroying
government buildings in Washington, D. C. in 1814, and drove the U. S. Army from
Baltimore.
America Wants Out of the It Started as it is Economically Shattered-Americans were
losing much and gaining precious little from the war. An armistice (cessation of hostilities)
ending the war was signed in December 1814. This was known as the Treaty of Ghent. It
did not end impressment or any of the other issues President Madison went to war over, but
an economically shattered U.S. welcomed the end of the war.
Battle of New Orleans Occurs after the War has Ended-Before the Treaty became known
to the public a major battle took place in New Orleans where American forces under General
Andrew Jackson severely defeated the best British regiments under the command of Sir
Edward Packingham. The British lost nearly 3000 dead or wounded to the loss of about 15
Americans. Because this victory came just before the announcement of the Treaty of Ghent
ending the war, Americans came to believe they had won the war.
Significance of the War of 1812 is a Renewed Sense of American Nationalism. The war,
although providing no benefits by the Treaty of Ghent, nonetheless created a renewed
spirit of American Nationalism. Many believed Britain had lost the war, but in any event,
Americans showed they were willing to go to war to protect their national interests. England
recognized that America was a country better to have as a friend, or she might well lose her
Canadian possessions. The War’s aftermath led to a series of Treaties with Britain fixing the
Canadian American border and setting up a peaceful border between the two countries. Many
of these post-war treaties occurred during the presidency of James Monroe.
33
The following chart depicts the Causes and Effects of the War of 1812
Kaneʼs U.S. History GHSGT Must Know Facts
4. America Comes Out of the War of 1812 With A new Sense of Nationalism
The war, although providing no benefits by the Treaty of Ghent (which ended the
War), nonetheless created a renewed spirit of American Nationalism. Many
SSUSH6 The
student
(break Americans
into pieces, think
through,
tell about
theto
parts)
believed
Britain
lost, will
but analyze
in any event,
showed
they were
willing
go
the
impact
(influence,
consequence)
of
territorial
expansion
and
population
growth
to war to protect their national interests. England recognized that America wasand
a
the
impact
(influence,
consequence)
of
this
growth
in
the
early
decades
of
the
new
country better to have as a friend or she might well lose her Canadian
nation.
possessions. The Warʼs aftermath led to a series of Treaties with Britain fixing the
Canadian-American border and setting up a peaceful border between the two
d. Describe (paint
picture; provide details, show me) the construction of the Erie
countries.
USH 6a word
c
Canal, the rise of New York City, and the development of the nationʼs infrastructure.
5. Erie Canal Project Opens East-West Trade & New York Becomes
Standard Overview-The Period from
1816 to 1824
was known as the Era of Good Feelings
Financial
Center
because
there
was
only
one
dominant
political
party,
Democrat-Republican
The
Major national infrastructure projects during thethe
early
1800s included:Party.
turnpikes
Federalist
Party
ceased to
any
significant
as this
party,
mostly
New
and
canals
designed
tohave
carry
goods
moresupport
efficiently
from
thecentered
east into
the in
new
England,
had
suggested
seceding
from
the
Union
and
creating
an
alliance
with
Britain.
This
western territories. These new transportation systems helped economic growth
was considered traitorous to many Americans and the party ceased to be a force in American
and industrialization. The Erie Canal was begun in 1817 and completed in 1825. It
politics. During this Era of Good Feelings, America consolidated her borders, began internal
opened up west to east trade and linked the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean
improvements, and expanded westward.
via New York City. The canal lowered transportation costs west to east and vice
versa by 90% and New York grew into the financial center and largest harbor in
PostUnited
War National
Developed-In
theofpost-War
ofto
1812
period,
many
the
States. Infrastructure
Railroads then
linked areas
the west
canals
and
families moved
west of the Appalachian
Mountains
claim
landwere
in the more
new American
steamship
transportation
also developed
suchtothat
there
steamships
territories
stretching
to
the
Mississippi
River.
Their
travel
was
difficult,
taking
a week to
than railroads during this time period. USH 6 d
cross the distance a car might drive today in a few hours. In response, private companies
built
the Monroe
young nation’s
roadsWarns
and waterways.
These
roads
often turnpikes,
or toll
6. The
Doctrine
Europe to
Stay
Outwere
of Western
Hemisphere
roads,
which travelers
a fee was
to use.
In turn, these
fees by
were
used to pay
for upkeep
of the
The
Monroe
Doctrinepaid
(1823)
a warning
issued
President
James
Monroe
to
new
roads.
the nations of Europe: do not meddle in the politics of North and South America.
This doctrine also stated that the United States intended to stay neutral in the
Barges Used
where Roads
Not Available-Where
couldconsider
not be built,
barges
wereaction
used
politics
and conflicts
of Europe.
The U.S. saidroads
it would
any
military
onthe
rivers
to carry people
and
goods––as
long as the
flowed
in theParts
sameof
direction
that
in
Americas
to be a
hostile
act against
therivers
United
States.
this doctrine
the settlers
and merchants
travel. today.
Soon a new
invention,
the steamboat, enabled
are
still followed
in U.S.wanted
foreigntopolicy
USH
6e
people to buy a ticket from private companies that operated the boats and to travel
upstream as easily as downstream.
37
34
Canals (artificial waterways) Expand Commerce-Lastly, in the wilderness where rivers
did not run and roads could not be built, government leaders joined businesspeople to
build canals––artificial rivers. These shallow waterways were for barges, not steamboats,
and had pathways alongside on which horses or mules pulled the barges.
Building the Erie Canal between July 4, 1817 and October 1825-The most famous canal
built in this era was the Erie Canal, which connected the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.
Construction began on July 4, 1817 and it was opened in 1825 after eight years of digging by
thousands of laborers, mostly Irish immigrants. The canal stretches 363 miles from Lake Erie
to the Hudson River, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean at New York City.
Significance of the Erie Canal-The Erie Canal was the nation’s first major canal, and it was
used heavily. Its opening had several major impacts:
First, shipping (transportation) charges fell by 90% to about a tenth of the cost of
sending goods over land.
Second, the Erie Canal’s success led to dozens of other canal projects. Farmers in Ohio
no longer depended on Mississippi River passage to New Orleans. They could now
ship their grain via canal and river to New York City, the nation’s major port.
Third, the Erie Canal, and the other canals, also opened the heartland of America to
world markets by connecting the Northeast to the Midwest. It opened up an east-west
trading route.
Fourth, the effect of the Canal was immediate and dramatic and settlers poured west.
Within 15 years of the Canal's opening, New York was the busiest port in America,
moving tonnages greater than Boston, Baltimore and New Orleans combined. New
York became a leading financial and commercial center.
Fifth, new cities grow along the Erie Canal route as shown by the following map
shows:
35
Trade Occasioned by the Erie Canal Helps New York City Rise as a Major Financial
and Commercial Center-Until 1790, New York City was the capital of the United States. In
the early 1800s, civic development turned this colonial town into a great economic center
established on a grid of city blocks. By 1835, the population had grown so large that New
York City outpaced Philadelphia as the largest U. S. city. Trade grew when the Erie Canal
made the city’s harbors the link between European merchants and the great
agricultural markets across the Appalachians from New York City. The city was home
to the biggest gathering of artisans and crafts workers in the United States, and its banking
and commercial activities would soon make it the leading city in all of North America.
SSUSH6 The student will analyze (break into pieces, think through, tell about the parts)
the impact (influence, consequence) of territorial expansion and population growth and
the impact (influence, consequence) of this growth in the early decades of the new
nation.
e. Describe (paint a word picture; provide details, show me) the reasons for and the
importance of the Monroe Doctrine.
Standard Overview-The Western Hemisphere was undergoing many independence
movements, especially in the former Spanish colonies in South America. The United States
wanted to avoid having new colonies created in the Western Hemisphere, especially by
Russia on the west coast, and also wanted to protect, as much as possible, the Caribbean and
South America as spheres of American influence. This desire led to the issuance of the
Monroe Doctrine of 1823 which since has become a cornerstone of American foreign policy.
The Monroe Doctrine Becomes the Underpinning of American Foreign Policy.
President James Monroe announced in 1823 that the US would protect the interests of the
new independent Latin American countries from possible re-conquest by European
nations like Portugal and Spain. This announcement drives US foreign policy for much of
36
the "long" 19th century, and into the 20th Century. In essence, the Monroe Doctrine states
that no European nation should attempt to create new colonies nor should they try to
overthrow and re-establish as colonies any of the newly independent republics in the
hemisphere. The United States would consider such action “dangerous to our peace and
safety.”
Agrees the US Will Stay Out of European Affairs In exchange for Europe Staying Out
of the Affairs of the Western Hemisphere-In the announcement of the Monroe Doctrine,
President Monroe said the United States would remain neutral in European affairs in
exchange for Europe staying out of the affairs of the western hemisphere. The Monroe
Doctrine holds that the western hemisphere (Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South
America) is a vital security interest of the United States.
The U. S. Relies on British Naval Power as the U. S. had no Real Power to Enforce the
Doctrine initially. While the Monroe Doctrine became a keystone of future American
foreign policy, the U. S. at first, did not have the military power to enforce the Doctrine,
many European countries, nonetheless realized it would not be a good idea to make an enemy
of the ever growing and expanding U. S. The British also did not want other European
countries trying to expand in the western hemisphere so it helped to enforce the U. S. policy.
The Cartoon on the following page summarizes the Monroe Doctrine
37
Stay Out of Our Backyard!
US President James Monroe announces in 1823 that the US will protect the
interests of the new independent Latin American countries from European nations.
38
GPS 7
SSUSH7 Students will explain (tell about; tell what & why, teach to someone else) the
process of economic growth, its regional and national impact (influence, consequence)
in the first half of the 19th century, and the different responses to it.
a. Explain (tell about; tell what & why, teach to someone else) the impact (influence,
consequence) of the Industrial Revolution as seen in Eli Whitneyʼs invention of the
cotton gin and his development of interchangeable parts for muskets.
Standard Overview-America’s great economic prosperity in the early 19th century had both
national and regional impact. It was a time when Americans reflected on social problems and
sought reforms that took hold in some regions more easily than in others.
The Industrial Revolution Heralds a Change form Hand Tools and Skilled Labor to
Power Driven Machines Operated by Unskilled Workers-The industrial revolution is the
name given to the period in the 19th century when power-driven machines operated by
semiskilled or unskilled workers replaced hand tools operated by skilled laborers, altering the
quality of work for many people.
The Cotton Gin and Interchangeable Parts Impact Agriculture and Industry-American
inventor Eli Whitney best illustrates the rise of industrialism with his invention of the cotton
gin, and his development of interchangeable parts for muskets. Whitney invented the cotton
gin in 1793. It is a machine that rapidly removes cotton plant seeds from the valuable cotton
fiber used to make thread and fabric. By producing more cotton in a day than any person
could simply working by hand, the cotton gin reduced the cost of processing cotton and
greatly raised the profit from growing it. One of the unintended consequences of the cotton
gin was to increase the need for, and use of slaves in the south.
Interchangeable Parts Increases Productivity-Another industrial improvement Whitney
developed was interchangeable parts. Prior to industrialization, a broken mechanism or
machine had to be discarded and replaced because all its parts had been handmade by skilled
workers to fit only that mechanism. Whitney introduced the practice of manufacturing
identical parts so only the broken part would need to be replaced to repair the whole machine.
He applied this process to making muskets. If one piece of the musket’s mechanism broke,
the owner could continue to use the musket after that piece was replaced with a matching
piece.
Significance of Interchangeable Parts-Interchangeable parts made it possible for
semiskilled and unskilled workers to mass-produce mechanical products.
39
SSUSH7 Students will explain (tell about; tell what & why, teach to someone else) the
process of economic growth, its regional and national impact (influence, consequence)
in the first half of the 19th century, and the different responses to it.
b. Describe, (paint a word picture; provide details, show me) the westward growth of
the United States; include the emerging concept (idea) of Manifest Destiny.
Standard Overview-Between 1800-1850 America moved ever westward and consciously
sought to expand to the Pacific Coast. This movement of settlers to the west coast became
known a Manifest Destiny.
Land and Gold are Primary Lures for Expansion-Between 1800 and 1860, the United
States more than doubled in size and the number of states expanded from 16 to 33. There
were three primary motivations for America’s westward growth:
1. the desire of most Americans to own their own land;
2. the discovery of gold and other valuable resources; and
3. the belief that the United States was destined by God to stretch across North
America from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean (Manifest Destiny).
Americaʼs Manifest Destiny is To Control All the Land From the Atlantic to the Pacific.
Manifest Destiny was the phrase coined by John OʼSullivan, a newspaperman, for the idea
that the United States would and should naturally occupy all the territory between the
Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. The word manifest means “obvious” and the word destiny
means “fate.” According to Manifest Destiny, the obvious fate of the United States was to
expand--from sea to shining sea. There were also strong economic motivations behind this
belief, as well as racism regarding Native Americans and Mexican people. Manifest Destiny
was the popular political belief in the United States during the early 19th century.
Manifest Destiny was Religious and Nationalistic. Manifest Destiny also had a religious
overtone since many people felt God wanted America to control the land between the
Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. American nationalism similarly spread with the belief in
Manifest Destiny. As a nation, Americans in Jackson’s day believed in Manifest Destiny.
Americans believed their nation was different than, and superior to, other nations because
most Americans of that time, shared a Protestant religion and English language, ancestry, and
culture. Americans believed it was their duty to expand the hold of the their religion,
language, ancestry, and culture all the way to the Pacific Ocean so as to remake all of North
America just as the Founding Fathers had remade the Atlantic coast. Altogether, these beliefs
comprised a form of American nationalism.
40
SSUSH7 Students will explain (tell about; tell what & why, teach to someone else) the
process of economic growth, its regional and national impact (influence, consequence)
in the first half of the 19th century, and the different responses to it.
c. Describe (paint a word picture; provide details, show me) reform movements,
specifically temperance, abolitionism, and public school.
Standard Overview-America’s great economic prosperity in the early 19th century had both
national and regional impact. It was a time when Americans reflected on social problems and
sought reforms that took hold in some regions more easily than in others. Much of the social
reform movement was inspired by the religious movement of the Second Great Awakening.
Reform Movements-The following table breaks down each of the three major reform
movements of the first half of the 19th Century:
Religion sparks reform- Much of the impulse toward reform was rooted in the revivals of
the broad religious movement that swept the United States after 1790, known as the Second
Great Awakening. Charles Grandison Finney (1792-1875), and his contemporaries were
participants in the Second Great Awakening. These preachers rejected the 18th-century
Calvinistic belief that God predetermined one’s salvation or damnation—whether a person
went to heaven or hell. Instead, they emphasized individual responsibility for seeking
salvation, and they insisted that people could improve themselves and society, and find
41
salvation through good works.
Reform Movements: Temperance, Abolitionism Gain Ground-Lyman Beecher founded
the American Temperance Society in 1826. By 1833 there were over 6,000 chapters.
Abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison believed in the immediate and compensated release of
all slaves and he published The Liberator. Frederick Douglass, a former slave, worked with
Garrison, but broke with him and published The North Star. Angelina Grimke and Sarah
Grimke, daughters of a South Carolina slave owner, were also active in the anti-slave,
abolitionist movement.
Public Education Movement Led by Horace Mann-Horace Mann, became the first
secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education. In 12 years of service, Mann established
teacher-training programs and instituted curriculum reforms. He also doubled the money that
the state spent on schools. Other states soon followed Massachusettsʼ and Pennsylvaniaʼs
good example. By the 1850s every state had provided some form of publicly funded
elementary schools. However, it was many years later before public schools were firmly
established in Western and Southern states.
SSUSH7 Students will explain (tell about; tell what & why, teach to someone else) the
process of economic growth, its regional and national impact (influence, consequence)
in the first half of the 19th century, and the different responses to it.
d. Explain (tell about; tell what & why, teach to someone else) women’s efforts to gain
suffrage; include Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Seneca Falls Conference.
Standard Overview-Another movement that began in the first half of the 19th Century was
the Women’s Suffrage Movement led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott who held
the first ever women’s suffrage conference in 1848. This movement culminated in the
passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 1919, some 71 years after the
conference for women’s suffrage.
Women’s Suffrage Movement (right to vote)-Women’s rights were few in the early 1800s.
Women did not have the right to vote (suffrage) and often lacked legal custody of their own
children. Most men––and most women, too––believed this was fitting and proper. One
exception was Elizabeth Cady Stanton. She was an outspoken advocate for women’s full
rights of citizenship, including voting rights and parental and custody rights.
Seneca Falls Conference the first Ever Women’s Suffrage Conference-In 1848, Stanton,
along with Lucretia Mott, organized the Seneca Falls Conference––America’s first women’s
rights convention––held in Seneca Falls, New York. Delegates adopted a declaration of
women’s independence, called the Declaration of Sentiments, and modeled after the
Declaration of Independence, and a resolution calling for women’s suffrage. However, the
resolution calling for a women’s right to vote only narrowly passed. Historians often cite the
Seneca Falls Conference as the event that marked the beginning of organized efforts by
women in the United States to gain civil rights equal to those of men.
42
SSUSH7 Students will explain (tell about; tell what & why, teach to someone else) the
process of economic growth, its regional and national impact (influence, consequence)
in the first half of the 19th century, and the different responses to it.
e. Explain (tell about; tell what & why, show me) Jacksonian Democracy, expanding
suffrage (voting rights), the rise of popular political culture, and the development of
American nationalism.
Standard Overview- Jacksonian Democracy refers to a period when the office of the
presidency and the executive branch became stronger in relation to and at the expense of the
Congress. During Andrew Jacksonʻs leadership there was greater emphasis on the rights of
the common man. It was during this period that suffrage was granted to all adult white males,
not just those who owned land. Jacksonian Democracy is also nationalistic and supportive of
Manifest Destiny.
Jacksonian Democracy-President Andrew Jackson and his supporters shared a political
philosophy later referred to as “Jacksonian Democracy.” It sought a stronger presidency
and executive branch, and a weaker Congress. Out of respect for the common man, it also
sought to broaden public participation in government, so it expanded voting rights to
include all adult white males, not just landowners.
“Spoils System: Becomes Associated with Jacksonian Democracy-Another principle of
Jacksonian democracy was that politicians should be allowed to appoint their followers to
government jobs as a way of limiting the power of elite groups. Appointing your political
followers to government jobs was known as the “spoils system.” Jacksonians also favored
Manifest Destiny and greater westward expansion of the United States.
Popular Political Culture Leads to New Forms of Electioneering. Popular political culture
increased during Jackson’s presidential campaigns. Accusations against candidates were
publicized in songs, pamphlets, posters, and lapel buttons. A voter could find all these at the
first-ever campaign rallies and Bar-B-Ques. Candidates all tried to portray themselves as
being a “common-man.”
GPS 8
SSUSH8 The student will explain (tell about; tell what & why, teach to someone else)
the relationship between growing north-south divisions and westward expansion.
a. Explain, (tell about; tell what & why, teach to someone else) how slavery became a
significant issue in American politics; include the slave rebellion of Nat Turner and the
rise of abolitionism (William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, and the Grimke
sisters).
Standard Overview-In the decades before the Civil War, three distinct regions emerged in
the United States: the North, the South, and the West. Sharp divisions emerged between the
economies and cultures of the North and South. In the West, settlers from both the North and
South merged to create a distinct way of life.
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Three Regions Development in the U.S. Prior to the Civil War-In the decades before the
Civil War, three distinct regions emerged in the United States: the North, the South, and the
West. Sharp divisions emerged between the economies and cultures of the North and South.
In the West, settlers from both the North and South merged to create a distinct way of life.
Abolition Movement Seeks to End (abolish) Slavery-By 1820, although racial
discrimination against African Americans remained, slavery had largely ended in the North.
Many Northerners and some Southerners took up the cause of abolition, a campaign to
abolish slavery immediately and to grant no financial compensation to slave owners. As most
slaves were held in southern states, abolition was a significant issue that led to growing
hostility between Northerners and Southerners. Prominent abolitionists included African
Americans, whites, men, and women. Among the most notable were the following:

William Lloyd Garrison, a writer and editor, was an important white abolitionist.
He founded regional and national abolitionist societies and published an antislavery
newspaper that printed graphic stories of the bad treatment received by slaves.

Frederick Douglass, a former slave, worked for Garrison and traveled widely, giving
eloquent speeches on behalf of equality for African Americans, women, Native
Americans, and immigrants. He later published autobiographies and his own
antislavery newspaper.
The Grimke sisters, Sarah and Angelina, were southern women who lectured
publicly throughout the northern states about the evils of slavery they had seen
growing up on a plantation. Their public careers began when Garrison published a
letter from Angelina in his newspaper.

Nat Turner Leads a Violent Slave Revolt in 1837-African American preacher and slave,
Nat Turner, believed his mission on Earth was to free his people from slavery. Seeing an
1831 solar eclipse as a message from above, he led a slave rebellion on four Virginia
plantations. About 60 whites were killed, and Turner was captured, tried, and executed.
Impact of the Nat Turner Rebellion-Virginia, which had been considering the abolition of
slavery reacted by institutionalizing slavery and by passing laws severely restricting the
movement of blacks, including free blacks. To stop such uprisings, white leaders passed new
laws prohibiting slaves from learning to read and write, or to otherwise move about without
proper documentation, and to otherwise limit the activities of slaves. These laws strengthened
the institution of slavery.
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SSUSH8 The student will explain (tell about; tell what & why, teach to someone else)
the relationship between growing north-south divisions and westward expansion.
b. Explain (tell about; tell what & why, teach to someone else) the Missouri
Compromise and the issue of slavery in western states and territories.
Standard Overview-Slavery became an increasingly divisive issue as the nation expanded
westward. The first major political crisis came in 1819 when Missouri sought to enter the
Union as a slave State. A unique compromise was created that set the stage for slave state and
non-slave state parity in the United States Senate where Southern votes could stop anti-slave
laws from becoming law.
Slavery Becomes an Important and Major Political Issue-Most white Southerners
opposed abolition. White writers and public speakers argued slavery was a necessary part of
life in the South. The southern economy, they said, was based on large-scale agriculture that
would be impossible to maintain without slave labor. They also boasted that southern white
culture was highly sophisticated and that it was made possible by the plantation economy.
Another proslavery argument claimed slaves were treated well and lived better lives than did
factory workers in the North. In fact, some whites said they provided better lives for slaves
than free blacks were able to provide for themselves. When settlers in the slaveholding
Missouri Territory sought statehood, proslavery and antislavery politicians made slavery a
central issue in national politics.
Missouri Compromise of 1820 Leads to Slave State and Free State Political Parity in the
Senate-The state constitution proposed by Missouri allowed slavery. Because half the states
in the union allowed slavery while the other half did not, statehood for Missouri would upset
the U. S. Senate’s equal balance of political power between proslavery and antislavery
senators. This issue was resolved when Congress passed the Missouri Compromise. Under
the compromise, Maine would be admitted to the Union as a free state, Missouri would be
admitted as a slave state. Once again, half the states would allow slavery while the other half
would not, and the Senate would retain its equal balance of political power between
proslavery and antislavery senators––until the next state asked to enter the Union.
Missouri Compromise Affects the Lands of the Louisiana Territory and Sets the
Boundaries for Slave and Non-Slave Development-The southern border of Missouri, or the
36° 30’ line become the border demarcating slavery-south of the line slavery in the Louisiana
Territory would be allowed. North of the line, slavery was prohibited in the old Louisiana
Territory, except for Missouri itself.
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Map Depicting the Missouri Compromise
SSUSH8 The student will explain (tell about; tell what & why, teach to someone else)
the relationship between growing north-south divisions and westward expansion.
c. Describe, (paint a word picture; provide details, show me) the Nullification (cancel,
make null and void; counteract) Crisis and the emergence of states’ rights ideology
(political theory), include the role of John C. Calhoun and the development of
sectionalism (localism).
Standard Overview-The framers of the Constitution in Article 3 merely created a Supreme
Court. The Constitution did not expressly give the Supreme Court the power of judicial
review (the power to declare laws constitutional or unconstitutional. Thus, there was an issue
of who had the power to declare a law unconstitutional. The Nullification Theory first
advanced by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
argued that states had the power to nullify (cancel, set aside, or make null or void) laws
passed by Congress that were clearly unconstitutional after a Federalist Congress passed the
Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 infringing on the 1st Amendment. This theory became the
basis of South Carolina’s attempt to nullify Congresses Tariffs of 1832, referred to as the
Tariff of Abominations in the South. The Nullification Crisis of 1832 led to the further
sectionalizing of the country, and the South began to use the Nullification Theory or doctrine
as a means of advocating state rights, and defending the institution of slavery upon which the
South’s agricultural based economy depended.
Background of the Nullification Crisis of 1832-Vice President John C. Calhoun argued
with President Andrew Jackson about the rights of states to nullify (cancel) federal laws they
opposed. Trouble, known as the Nullification Crisis, resulted when southern states sought to
nullify (set aside, make null and void) a high tariff (tax) Congress had passed on
manufactured goods imported from Europe. This tariff helped northern manufacturers, but
hurt southern plantation owners, so South Carolina legislators nullified (cancelled, set aside,
made null and void) the federal tariff by passing an act called the Ordinance of
Nullification. South Carolina also considered secession and the use of force. Calhoun, a
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South Carolinian, resigned from the office of the vice-president to lead the efforts of the
southern states in this crisis. His loyalty to the interests of the southern region, or section, of
the United States, rather than to the United States as a whole, contributed to the rise of
sectionalism.
President Jackson Threatens Force Against South Carolina-In response to South
Carolina’s threat of force, Jackson sent seven small naval vessels, and a man-of-war to
Charleston in November 1832. On December 10, 1832 he issued a resounding
proclamation against the nullifiers. South Carolina, the president declared, stood on “the
brink of insurrection and treason,” and he appealed to the people of the state to reassert
their allegiance to that Union for which their ancestors had fought. The nation stood on
the brink of a war.
Nullification Becomes an Issue of States’ Rights-Calhoun and the advocates of
sectionalism argued in favor of states’ rights––the idea that states have certain rights and
political powers separate from those held by the federal government and that the federal
government may not violate those rights. The supporters of sectionalism were mostly
Southerners. Their opponents were afraid that if each state could decide for itself which
federal laws to obey, the United States would dissolve into sectional discord or even
warfare.
Henry Clay, “The Great Compromiser,” Works Out A compromise Of Lowering the
Tariff. Henry Clay, the great advocate of protection (and a political rival of Jackson), piloted
a compromise measure through Congress. Clay's tariff bill -- quickly passed in 1833 -specified that all duties in excess of 20 percent of the value of the goods imported were to be
reduced by easy stages, so that by 1842, the duties on all articles would reach the level of the
moderate tariff of 1816 that the South had originally supported.
South Carolina’s Nullification Efforts Were Not Supported By Other Southern StatesNullification leaders in South Carolina had expected the support of other Southern states, but
without exception, the rest of the South declared South Carolina's course unwise and
unconstitutional. Eventually, South Carolina rescinded its action. Both sides, nevertheless,
claimed victory. Jackson had committed the federal government to the principle of Union
supremacy. But South Carolina, by its show of resistance, had obtained many of the demands
it sought, and had demonstrated that a single state could force its will on Congress.
SSUSH8 The student will explain (tell about; tell what & why, teach to someone else)
the relationship between growing north-south divisions and westward expansion.
d. Describe (paint a word picture; provide details) the war with Mexico and the Wilmot
Proviso.
Standard Overview-President James K. Polk wanted California and the completion of
Manifest Destiny, and he welcomed war with Mexico. Anti-Slave forces understood that any
new lands obtained from the war would raise the issue of slavery in those territories. The
1846 Wilmot Proviso was a bold attempt by opponents of slavery to prevent its introduction
in any territories ceded by Mexico to America following the Mexican-American War.
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Mexican-American War of 1846-1848 Precipitated by Annexation of Texas-In 1845, the
United States annexed (took) Texas into the Union and set its sights on the Mexican
territories of New Mexico and California. The U. S. annexation of Texas (and other factors)
led to war in 1846. During the conflict, the United States occupied much of northern Mexico.
The United States eventually won the war, and what is now the southwestern area of the
United States was ceded to the U. S. by Mexico. This is known as the Mexican Cession and
was part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ending the war.
The Wilmot Proviso Creates Sectional Discord as it Seeks to Ban Slavery from the
Mexican Cession-During the Mexican-American War, Congress debated whether slavery
would be allowed in New Mexico, California, etc., if these territories were acquired from
Mexico. The antislavery position was outlined in a proposal called the Wilmot Proviso,
named after Pennsylvania Congressman David Wilmot, which sought to ban slavery
completely from any land acquired by the U. S. from Mexico, but the House of
Representatives failed to approve it, and the issue of whether to allow or prohibit slavery in
new states formed from the Mexican Cession lands remained unresolved. The South viewed
the Wilmot Proviso as an opening shot in a battle to abolish slavery, not just to prevent
its extension into new territories.
(The Wilmot Proviso never became law but it showed the South that the North
wanted to ultimately abolish slavery, and this hastened the Civil War)
SSUSH8 The student will explain (tell about; tell what & why, teach to someone
else) the relationship between growing north-south divisions and westward
expansion.
e. Explain (tell about; tell what & why, teach someone else) how the Compromise of
1850 arose out of territorial expansion and population growth.
Standard Overview-Just like the Louisiana Territory raised the issue of where slavery
would be allowed, so did the acquisition of the Mexican Cession Lands again raise the
issue of whether and where slavery would be allowed to spread. The Compromise of
1850, which really consisted of five separate pieces of legislation, was necessitated by the
desire to add California as a state after Gold was discovered in 1849, but that meant a
possible permanent shift in the political balance between slave and free states in the
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Senate in favor of the free state forces.
The Compromise of 1850 Decides Issue of Slavery in the Mexican Cession Lands-The
expansion of U.S. territory and population growth in the West continued to fuel political
tensions between free states and slave states over the extension of slavery. Many members of
Congress became increasingly concerned that the issue of slavery threatened the survival of
the nation. Those who favored slavery and those who opposed slavery therefore agreed to
five laws that addressed these concerns. Collectively, the five laws are known as the
Compromise of 1850. This compromise stated:





the state of New Mexico would be established by carving its borders from the state of
Texas.
New Mexico and Utah Territory voters would determine whether the territory would
permit or prohibit the practice of slavery (popular sovereignty).
California would be admitted to the Union as a free state.
all citizens would be required to apprehend runaway slaves and return them to their
owners (Fugitive Slave Act). Those who failed to do so would be fined or
imprisoned. Northern states detested this aspect of the Compromise and passed
personal liberty laws to avoid it.
the slave trade (selling of slaves) (but not slavery itself) would be abolished in the
District of Columbia,
The Compromise of 1850 eased sectional tensions over slavery for a short four year time
period. In the next few years, however, aspirations for a more permanent solution to the issue
of slavery faded.
A Pictorial View of Early American Expansion and Manifest Destiny
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GPS 9
SSUSH9 The student will identify (list characteristics or properties) key events, issues,
and individuals relating to the causes, course, and consequences of the Civil War.
a. Explain (tell about, tell what & why, teach to someone else) the Kansas-Nebraska Act,
the failure of popular sovereignty, Dred Scott case, and John Brownʼs Raid.
Standard Overview-The Civil War was one of the defining events in U.S. history,
understanding the key events and their aftermath is to understand how the nation developed
in its race relations and in industrialization after the Civil War ended.
Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 Reopens the Festering Wound of Slavery-In 1854 Congress
again took up the issue of whether slavery would be allowed or prohibited in new U.S. states
and territories. This time, the territories were Kansas and Nebraska, which were carved out of
the non-slave area of the Louisiana Territory mandated by the Missouri Compromise of
1820,. When Congress enacted the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, it effectively repealed the
Missouri Compromise of 1820 because the new act the settlers in all new territories the
right to decide for themselves whether their territories and future states would be a free state
or a slave state. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 made a proslavery doctrine, popular
sovereignty (rule by the people) the law of the United States.
“Bleeding Kansas” Results from and Caused by the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854-Proand antislavery groups rushed into Kansas in an attempt to create voting majorities in that
territory. Antislavery abolitionists came from eastern states and Illinois; proslavery settlers
came mainly from neighboring Missouri, a slave state. Some of these Missourians settled in
Kansas, but many more stayed there only long enough to vote for slavery, and then returned
to Missouri.
Two Rival Territorial Legislatures Elected: One Slave and One Free-Proslavery voters
elected a legislature ready to make Kansas a slave state. Abolitionists then elected a rival
Kansas government with an antislavery constitution, established a different capital city, and
raised an army. Proslavery Kansans reacted by raising their own army. The U.S. House of
Representatives supported the abolitionist Kansans; the U.S. Senate and President Franklin
Pierce supported the proslavery Kansans. Violence between the two sides created warlike
conditions. Popular sovereignty had failed. This period of civil strife became known as
“Bleeding Kansas.”
Proslavery Forces Attack the Antislavery Town of Lawrence Kansas and Antislavery
Forces Retaliate by Murdering Members of a Slave Owning Family-At the height of the
violence, proslavery forces attacked a newspaper in the antislavery town of Lawrence and
then torched the town, but no one was killed. John Brown, a radical extremist abolitionist,
upon hearing of this, rode to the slave community of Pottawatomie Creek, Kansas and roused
a sleeping salve owning family from their sleep and in front of the wife and daughters,
hacked to death the slave owning father and his four sons. John Brown and his sons and other
supporters had to flee Kansas, as they were now wanted for murder.
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Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Book Changes the Issue of Slavery from a Legal Issue to a
Moral Issue: Uncle Tom’s Cabin Impacts Nation’s View of Slavery-In 1852, ardent
abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe, published Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Stirring strong reactions
from North and South alike, the novel became an instant bestseller. More than a million
copies had sold by the middle of 1853. The novel’s plot was melodramatic and many of its
characters were stereotypes, but Uncle Tom’s Cabin delivered the message that slavery was
more than just a political issue—it was a great moral struggle.
The Dred Scott Decision of 1857 Helps to Hasten Disunion
The Supreme Court’s 1857 Dred Scott Decision (Scott v. Sanford) Aggravates Sectional
Feelings by Ruling that Slaves Are Not Citizens-In 1857, the U. S. Supreme Court issued
the Dred Scott decision, settling a lawsuit in which an African American slave named Dred
Scott claimed he should be a free man because he had lived with his master in slave states
and in free states. The Court rejected Scott’s claim, ruling that no African American––
even if free––could ever be a U. S. citizen. The Court held:
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



slaves did not have the rights of citizens;
slaves could never be citizens;
the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional;
Congress could not forbid slavery in any part of the territories;
Congress could not interfere with a slaveholders’ right to own property--a right
protected by the Fifth Amendment.
Thus, the Court found that popular sovereignty regarding the issue of slavery, and the
Missouri Compromise of 1820 were both unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court Protected Slavery and Hardened Pro- and Antislavery SentimentsThe Dred Scott decision gave slavery the protection of the U.S. Constitution. Proslavery
Americans welcomed the Court’s ruling as proof they had been right during the previous few
decades’ struggles against abolitionists. In contrast, abolitionists essentially advocated the
Nullification Doctrine and urged and convinced many state legislatures to declare the Dred
Scott decision “not binding” within their state borders. The decision helped to bring the
union closer to dissolution.
Newly Formed Republican Party Vows to Overrule Dred Scott-The new Republican
Party, formed in 1854 specifically to bring about the abolition of slavery, said that if its
candidate were elected president in 1860, he would appoint a new Supreme Court that would
reverse the Dred Scott decision.
Extreme Abolitionist John Brown Seeks to Start a General Slave Uprising in the South
Abolitionist John Brown Seeks to Start A Slave Rebellion-One famously extreme
abolitionist, John Brown, decided to fight slavery with significant violence and killing. In
1859, he led a group of white and black men in a raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry,
Virginia (now in modern-day West Virginia). Brown’s force seized federal weapons and
ammunition, killing seven people. Brown’s plan was to deliver the weapons and ammunition
to slaves, who would then use them in an uprising against slaveholders and proslavery
51
government officials. But the raid failed, and Brown was captured by U. S. Marines, led by
U. S. Army Colonel Robert E. Lee. Eventually, Brown was convicted of treason against the
state of Virginia, and executed by hanging. Many Southern Americans thought Brown was a
terrorist killer. Many in the North thought he was an abolitionist martyr.
SSUSH9 The student will identify (list characteristics or properties) key events, issues,
and individuals relating to the causes, course, and consequences of the Civil War.
b. Describe (paint a word picture, provide details, show me) President Lincoln’s efforts
to preserve the Union as seen in his second inaugural (formal & ceremonial) address
and the Gettysburg speech, and in his use of emergency powers, such as his decision to
suspend habeas corpus (civil right against illegal imprisonment).
Standard Overview-President Lincoln, a Republican, was elected in a four-way race in
1860. He received about 40% of the popular vote, but won the Electoral College
overwhelmingly. He knew he had no Southern support and sought to reassure the South that
he did not and would not move to abolish slavery were it existed but rather only wanted to
stop the spread of slavery. He hoped that over time, slavery would die a natural death. Thus,
when the South seceded and formed the Confederacy, Lincoln saw his primary goal to be the
preservation of the Union, and the healing of the wounds caused by the slave issue and the
Civil War. His war aims changed when the South steadfastly refused to re-enter the Union,
yet Lincoln still sought to allow the South to come back into the Union in a non-punitive way
and with rancor or malice—he wanted to allow the South full participation once its leaders
and governments re-pledged allegiance to the Constitution and the Union.
Secession Occurs as a Consequence of the Election of 1860-Republican Abraham
Lincoln was elected president in 1860. South Carolina voted to secede (separate from) the
United States, followed by Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and then
Texas. They formed a new country called the Confederate States of America (the
“Confederacy”). When they attacked the U.S. Army base at Fort Sumter, South Carolina,
in April 1861, the long-feared Civil War began.
Lincoln Seeks to Preserve the Union-President Lincoln believed preservation of the United
States (the “Union”) as the most important task for any U.S. president. He did not believe the
southern states had the right to secede from the Union, and thought they were merely
rebelling against the government.
Lincoln Does Not View Confederacy as a Separate Nation-He never considered the
Confederacy a separate country. When Lincoln called for a large volunteer army to preserve
the Union, more states––Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee––seceded to join
the Confederacy. Although Lincoln had often stated he wished only to restrict the spread of
slavery, not to abolish it, over time he did embrace the idea of ending slavery in the United
States. Violence between the two sides created warlike conditions. Popular sovereignty had
failed.
North versus South: The Civil War Begins With the North Being the Stronger Region
Economically, Demographically, and Financially-When Southern forces opened fire on
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Union forces at Fort Sumter in April, 1861 the South began a war that would last four years
and take the lives of 821, 000 soldiers. From the start, the Confederacy was at a serious
comparative disadvantage. The Southern economy differed greatly from the economy of
the northern states, and in the end, the numerical and industrial superiority of the
northern economy proved too much for the South to overcome.
South Enjoyed An Advantage in Military Leaders-The South, early in the war, and to
some extent, through out the war, had more capable military leaders, yet even more
capable military leaders could not offset the material and financial advantages the
North had over the South. Review the following breakdown of economic issues that
separated Northerners and Southerners to help understand each position and how that
position influenced the Civil War.
Comparative Chart on The Northern and Sothern Economies
53
Lincoln Uses Emergency War Powers to Strengthen the Power of the Executive Office
Lincoln Suspends the Legal Protection of the Writ Habeas Corpus-Not all Northerners
supported President Lincoln’s efforts to preserve the Union. Some were Confederate
sympathizers (called Copperheads) (just as some Southerners were Union sympathizers).
Throughout the war, in some states Lincoln suspended the constitutional right of habeas
corpus––the legal rule that anyone imprisoned must be taken before a judge to
determine if the prisoner is being legally held in custody. The Constitution allows a
president to suspend habeas corpus during a national emergency. Lincoln used his
emergency powers to legalize the holding of Confederate sympathizers without trial and
without a judge having to agree they were legally imprisoned. Over 13,000 Confederate
sympathizers were arrested in the North and held in prison against their will without
the protection of the Writ of Habeas Corpus.
Lincoln Promotes Reconciliation and Healing as a Post War Policy Uses The
Gettysburg Address to Shape Public Opinion in Favor of Preserving the Union
Gettysburg Address Promotes Preservation of the Union-In November 1863, Lincoln’s
Gettysburg Address was another event by which he shaped popular opinion in favor of
preserving the Union. The occasion was the dedication of a military cemetery at the
Gettysburg battlefield four months after 51,000 people were killed in the battle there. Lincoln
rose to speak, starting with his famous words “Four score and seven years ago.” He spoke for
just two minutes in what is now considered one of the greatest speeches in the English
language. His address helped raise the spirits of Northerners who had grown weary of the war
and dismayed by southern victories over the larger Union armies. The address convinced
the people that the United States was one indivisible nation.
Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a
new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are
created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any
nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great
battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final
resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is
altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate—we cannot consecrate—we cannot
hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have
consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note,
nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.
It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work,
which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to
be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored
dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full
measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have
died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom— and
that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from
the earth.
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Lincoln Signals the South of a Non-Punitive Post War Reconciliation In His Second
Inaugural Speech
Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address Offers Charity, Not Malice to a Defeated SouthAbraham Lincoln was reelected president in 1864. When he delivered his second inaugural
address, Union victory over the Confederacy was certain, and Americans foresaw an end to
slavery. Instead of boasting about that victory, Lincoln expressed sorrow that the states had
not been able to resolve their differences peacefully. However, he clearly stated that slavery
was such an evil that the North was right to have gone to war over the issue. Nevertheless, he
urged Americans not to seek revenge on slaveholders and their supporters and military.
Instead, he urged reconstruction of the South “with malice toward none; with charity
for all.” Now at the end of the Civil War, Lincoln formed what would become the popular
memory of why the war was necessary. He said it had been fought to preserve the Union as
an indivisible nation of citizens who would no longer profit from “wringing their bread from
the sweat of other men’s faces”––from taking their earnings from the labor of unpaid slaves.
SSUSH9 The student will identify (list characteristics or properties) key events, issues,
and individuals relating to the causes, course, and consequences of the Civil War.
c. Describe (paint a word picture, provide details, show me) the roles of Ulysses Grant,
Robert E. Lee, “Stonewall” Jackson, William T. Sherman, and Jefferson Davis.
Standard Overview-The Civil War had key leaders on both sides, both politically and
militarily. These leaders had both strengths and weaknesses.
Key Union and Confederate Leaders of Civil War-The political and military leaders of the
Union and the Confederacy represented the different beliefs and values that separated the
North from the South. The northern leaders thought it was illegal for the southern states to
secede from the Union. They considered the Confederates outlaws, not citizens of a separate
country. On the other hand, the southern leaders put loyalty to their home states above loyalty
to the Union. They fought for the Confederacy to protect their homes, even though they may
have had misgivings about secession. The following chart discusses Key Leaders of the
North and South.
55
Union General Ulysses S. Grant-Union General who won Union victories in the west and
who after July 1864 became commander of all Union forces. He wore down the Confederates
by constantly attacking Confederate defenses with his superior numbers causing the
Confederates to “stretch” their lines to the point that the lines could not effectively be
defended. He was tenacious and along with his chief Lieutenant, William T. Sherman,
believed in “total war.”
Union General William T. Sherman-William T. Sherman is credited with the “total war”
philosophy of involving civilians and making them feel the impact and effects of war.
Sherman was General Grantʼs right hand man. He captured and destroyed Atlanta and after
burning Atlanta, “Marched to the Sea,” living off the land as he went, and captured
Savannah. He accepted surrender of Confederate armies in South and North Carolina.
Confederate General Robert E. Lee-Robert E. Lee was the Confederate General who took
command from Gen. Joseph Johnson during the Union campaign to take Richmond, the
Confederate capital in 1862. He then drove back the Union attack within 7 days. Lee
commanded the Army of Northern Virginia until its surrender at Appomattox Courthouse in
April 1865. Lee was a brilliant and audacious commander often defeating Union armies twice
his size. He was perhaps the most able general on both sides of the war. He was beloved by
his men.
Confederate General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson-Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson
was considered by many to be General Leeʼs right hand man. A brilliant tactician and
strategist he led the Confederate Army of the Shenandoah defeating every Union army sent
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against him. He was mistakenly shot by his own troops at dusk in 1863 at the Battle of
Chancellorsville, after having routed the Union army in a brilliant flanking maneuver. He
died of pneumonia nine days later. His death was a crucial loss to the Confederacy.
SSUSH9 The student will identify (list characteristics or properties) key events, issues,
and individuals relating to the causes, course, and consequences of the Civil War.
d. Explain (tell about, tell what & why, teach to someone else) the importance of Fort
Sumter, Antietam, Vicksburg, Gettysburg, and the Battle for Atlanta and the impact of
geography on these battles.
Standard Overview-Each side during the Civil War had a strategy to prevail and win
victory. The Union’s overall plan was to blockade the southern ports and deny the south the
use of the Mississippi, and this was known as The Anaconda Plan. It was named after the
giant Anaconda snake that would slowly squeeze it victims to death. In this case, the
squeezing would bring a Union victory. The South sought to win the war by an aggressive
defense and of “bleeding the North” into a frame of mind that would let the South go its own
way or to deliver a knock-out blow that would make the war far to costly for the North to
continue.
Key Civil War Battles and Their Significance
The Civil War Begins with the Confederate Attack on Fort Sumter––April 1861––Fort
Sumter was a federal (Union) fort in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina. Confederate
forces staged a 24-hour bombardment against it and, by attacking federal property, had
committed an act of open rebellion. To uphold the Constitution, President Lincoln believed
he had no choice but to call for troops to respond against the Confederacy. As a direct result,
the Civil War began. The South’s attack gave the Union the moral high groundpreserving the Union
Antietam: Single Bloodiest Day In American Military History and Allows Lincoln to
Issue the Emancipation Proclamation––September 1862––Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee
marched his forces to Antietam Creek, Maryland, where he fought the war’s first major battle
on northern soil. It was the deadliest single-day battle in American history, with over
26,000 casualties. Neither side won a victory. As Lee withdrew to the South, Union forces
might have been able to end the war by going after the Confederates––Union soldiers
outnumbered them two-to-one––but they did not follow Lee. Lincoln hailed Antietam as a
Union victory so he could issue the Emancipation Proclamation, Thus, the significance of
the Battle of Antietam was that Lee’s failure to win a clear victory encouraged Lincoln
to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.
Battle of Gettysburg Like the Battle of Saratoga During the Revolutionary War, is the
Turning Point of the Civil War for the North
Battle of Gettysburg is a Major Union Victory and High Tide of the Confederacy––July
1863––Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee hoped that an invasion of Union territory would
significantly weaken Northern support for the war effort. A major Southern victory on
northern soil might also convince Great Britain and France to aid Confederate forces. Lee’s
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army was met by Union troops at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. In the course of a three-day
battle, as many as 51, 000 were killed on both sides. It was the deadliest overall battle of the
American Civil War. Lee gave up attempts to invade the Union, or to show Northerners that
the Union troops could not win the war.
Gettysburg Battle Impacted By Geography-Geography impacted this significant Union
victory in that the Union was able to place its forces in a “fish hook” pattern on the high
ground giving them a strong defensive forces with which to beat back Confederate forces.
Significance of the Battle of Gettysburg-The significance of the Battle of Gettysburg was
that it stopped the South’s invasion of the North and forever put the South on the
defensive militarily.
Union Victory at the Battle of Vicksburg in Mississippi Divides the Confederacy in Two
Battle of Vicksburg Gives Union Total Geographic Control of the Mississippi River and
Divides the Confederacy In Two––May–July 1863––Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant laid
siege to Vicksburg, Mississippi, because the army that controlled its high ground over a bend
in the Mississippi River would control traffic on the whole river. After a seven-week siege,
Grant achieved one of the Union’s major strategic goals of the Anaconda Plan: control of the
Mississippi River. Confederate troops and supplies in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas were
cut off from the Confederacy. This Union victory, coupled with the Union victory at
Gettysburg, was the turning point of the war. The loss of Vicksburg split the Confederacy
in two.
Union Victory at the Battle of Atlanta Destroys a Major Railway Supply Terminus and
Further Splits the Remaining Confederacy East of the Mississippi In Half
Battle of Atlanta Destroys Major Southern Railway Terminus and Again Divides
Remaining Confederacy in Two––July–September 1864––Union Gen. William Tecumseh
Sherman besieged Atlanta, Georgia, for six weeks before capturing this vitally important
center of Confederate manufacturing and railway traffic. Sherman’s goal was to disrupt the
Confederacy’s capacity to resupply its troops throughout the South. Union troops burned
Atlanta to the ground and then marched to the Atlantic Ocean, destroying the railways, roads,
and bridges along the path, as well as the crops and livestock his troops did not harvest and
butcher to feed themselves. Now the South knew it would lose the war, and the North knew it
would win. This concept of taking the war to the civilian population became known as “total
war.” Lincoln easily won reelection against a candidate who wanted a truce with the
Confederacy. The Battle of Atlanta is also significant because it again split the
remaining Confederacy in two again.
SSUSH9 The student will identify (list characteristics or properties) key events, issues,
and individuals relating to the causes, course, and consequences of the Civil War.
e. Describe (paint a word picture, provide details, show me) the significance of the
Emancipation Proclamation.
Standard Overview-Lincoln primary goal was to preserve the Union and he used the
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putative victory at Antietam to issue and ultimatum to the Confederacy-either return to the
Union and find a political solution peacefully, or he would after six months issue and
Emancipation Proclamation freeing all slaves in Confederate held territory. The
Emancipation threat was designed to have the South return to the Union and if it failed, then
it would change the direction of the war giving it a higher moral purpose: the freeing of
slaves in Confederate territory.
Emancipation Proclamation Does Not Abolish Slavery
Lincoln Issues Emancipation Proclamation Freeing Slaves in January 1863 in
Confederate Held Territory Only When the South Fails to Rejoin the Union-Lincoln
also used his emergency powers to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. It emancipated
(freed) all slaves held in the Confederate states. Lincoln did not expect Confederate
slaveholders to free their slaves, but he thought news of the proclamation would reach
southern slaves and encourage them to flee to the North. Lincoln believed one reason
southern whites were free to join the Confederate Army was because slaves were doing war
work that, otherwise, the whites would have to do. Encouraging slaves to flee north would
hurt the southern war effort.
Emancipation Proclamation Does Not Free a Single Slave in Union Held Territory or
State-The Emancipation Proclamation did not free slaves held in the North, yet, it was
warmly welcomed by African Americans living in Union states. They understood the
proclamation announced a new goal for the Union troops––besides preserving the
Union, the troops were fighting for the belief that the United States would abolish
slavery throughout the nation. The issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation also had the
effect of stopping the French and the English from offering diplomatic recognition to the
Confederacy as the populations of these two countries were opposed to slavery.
SSUSH9 The student will identify (list characteristics or properties) key events, issues,
and individuals relating to the causes, course, and consequences of the Civil War.
f. Explain (tell about, tell what & why, teach to someone else) the importance of the
growing economic disparity (differences or inequalities) between the North and the
South through an examination of population, functioning railroads, and industrial
output.
Standard Overview-The North had significant resources before the war and the war effort
created an economic boom in the North. By contrast the South was devastated by the war
economically and its population was physically devastated as well.
The Civil War profoundly impacted the nation’s economy-Between 1861 and 1865 the
federal government did much to help Union business, in part through subsidizing
construction of a national railroad system. The government also passed the National Bank
Act of 1863, which set up a system of federally chartered banks, set requirements for loans,
and provided for banks to be inspected. These measures helped make banking safer for
investors. The economy of the Northern states boomed. Northern entrepreneurs had grown
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rich selling war supplies to the government and thus had money to invest in new businesses
after the war. As army recruitment created a labor shortage in the North, the sale of labor
saving agricultural tools such as the reaper increased dramatically. By war’s end, large-scale
commercial agriculture had taken hold. The North also continued the expansion of the
western territories through the Homestead Act of 1862 that provided 160 acres to any family
that would live and farm the land for five years.
South was Economically Devastated-The war devastated the South economically. It took
away the South’s source of cheap labor--slavery--and wrecked most of the region’s industry.
It wiped out 40 percent of the livestock, destroyed much of the South’s farm machinery and
railroads, and left thousands of acres of land uncultivated. The economic gap between North
and South widened drastically. Before the war, Southern states held 30 percent of the national
wealth; in 1870 the South held only 12 percent. In 1860, Southerners earned about 70 percent
of the Northern average; in 1870, they earned less than 40 percent. This economic disparity
between the regions would not diminish until well into the 20th century.
60
GPS 10
SSUSH10 The student will identify (list characteristics or properties) legal, political,
and social dimensions (importance, extent) of Reconstruction.
a. Compare (show similarities, list how they are the same) and contrast (show
differences, list how they are different) Presidential Reconstruction with Radical
Republican Reconstruction.
Standard Overview-After the Civil War, the United States worked to resolve the issues that
had caused the war. The legal status of the freed African Americans, the defeated southern
states, and the Confederate leaders had to be settled to truly reconstruct the United States. A
Republican controlled Congress wrested control over reconstruction efforts from the
President, worked to limit his power and impeached him as a means of lessening his power
for failing to cooperate with Congress in its reconstruction efforts. But the Republican
congress, deemed Radical, by the South, sought to protect and provide rights to the former
slave.
Presidential Reconstruction to be Fair and Non-Punitive Towards the South-The
Reconstruction plans begun by President Abraham Lincoln and carried out by President
Andrew Johnson echoed the words of Lincoln’s second inaugural address, which urged no
revenge on former Confederate supporters. The purpose of Presidential Reconstruction was
to readmit the southern states to the Union as quickly as possible. Republicans in Congress,
however, were outraged by the fact that the new southern state governments were passing
laws that deprived the newly freed slaves of their rights.
“Lincoln's 10 Percent Plan Lenient to South-In late 1863, Lincoln issued a Proclamation
of Amnesty and Reconstruction, which came to be known as his 10 Percent Plan. The
government would pardon all Confederates—except high-ranking Confederate officials and
those accused of crimes against prisoners of war—who would swear allegiance to the Union.
After ten percent of those on the 1860 voting lists took this oath of allegiance, a Confederate
state could form a new state government and gain representation in Congress. Under
Lincoln’s terms, four states—Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Virginia—moved toward
readmission to the Union. It was a lenient plan as Lincoln did not believe the Southern
States had legally left the Union, and he wanted to bring them back into the Union as
quickly as possible.
Presidential Reconstruction Under Johnson Similar to Lincoln’s Lenient Plan-Andrew
Johnson was a "War Democrat" who had spent most of his life in Tennessee, one of the few
southern members of the party who sided with the Union in the Civil War and who was
selected as Lincoln's running mate in the 1864 election as a symbol of unity. After he became
president upon Lincoln's assassination in the spring of 1865, he called for a general amnesty
and restoration of property—except for slaves—to all southerners who would swear loyalty
to the Union. But those whose pre-war property value exceeded $20,000 (the equivalent of
more than $400,000 in today's money) had to personally seek a pardon from the president.”
(http://www.shmoop.com/reconstruction/politics.html)
Johnson Opposed Rights to Former Slaves-Although Johnson supported abolition, he was
61
opposed to former slaves obtaining the right to vote—he pardoned more than 13,000 former
Confederates because he believed that “white men alone must manage the South.” The
remaining Confederate states quickly agreed to Johnson’s terms. However, in December
1865, the South elected former confederates to Congress. Fifty-eight of them had previously
sat in the Congress of the Confederacy, six had served in the Confederate cabinet, and four
had fought against the United States as Confederate generals. Johnson pardoned them all—a
gesture that infuriated the Radicals and made African Americans feel they had been betrayed.
Congress Moves to Wrest Control of Reconstruction from the President to ItselfCongress refused to admit the newly elected Southern legislators. At the same time, moderate
Republicans pushed for new laws to remedy weaknesses they saw in Johnson’s plan. In
February 1866, Congress voted to continue and enlarge the Freedmen’s Bureau. The bureau,
established by Congress in the last month of the war, assisted former slaves and poor whites
in the South by distributing clothing, food, and medicine. It also managed labor contracts for
the former slaves. In addition, the Freedmen’s Bureau set up more than 40 hospitals,
approximately 4,000 schools, 61 industrial institutes, and 74 teacher-training centers. Johnson
vetoed this legislation.
Civil Rights Act of 1866 Designed to Protect Newly Freed Slaves but is Vetoed by
Johnson-Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866 which gave African Americans
citizenship and forbade states from passing discriminatory laws—black codes—that many
former Confederate states had passed that severely restricted African Americans’ lives.
Mississippi and South Carolina had first enacted black codes in 1865, and other
Southern states had rapidly followed suit. Black codes had the effect of restoring many
of the restrictions of slavery by prohibiting blacks from carrying weapons, serving on
juries, testifying against whites, marrying whites, and traveling without permits. In
some states, African Americans were forbidden to own land. This act was also vetoed by
Johnson and infuriated the Republican dominated Congress who passed it over the
veto.
Radical Republican Reconstruction Wanted to Treat the South as a Conquered
Territory and Reconstruct it Politically and Socially-To remedy the Radical Republicans’
outrage, Congress passed the Reconstruction Act of 1867 giving Congress the power to
control reconstruction efforts in the South.
South Divided into Five Districts Controlled by a Military Administrator-The
Reconstruction Act of 1867 did not recognize state governments formed under the Lincoln
and Johnson plans—except for that of Tennessee, which had ratified the Fourteenth
Amendment and had been readmitted to the Union. The act divided the other ten former
Confederate states into five military districts, each headed by a Union general.
Former Confederate States Required to Re-apply for Statehood and Ratify Three
Constitutional Amendments-Congress forced the southern states to reapply for admission to
the Union, and to take steps to secure the rights of the newly freed slaves. This resulted in the
creation of southern state governments that included African Americans. The key feature of
the effort to protect the rights of the newly freed slaves was the passage of three
constitutional amendments during and after the Civil War. Southern states were
required to ratify all these amendments before they could rejoin the Union.
62
SSUSH10 The student will identify (list characteristics or properties) legal, political,
and social dimensions (importance, extent) of Reconstruction.
b. Explain (tell about, tell what & why, teach to someone else) efforts to redistribute
(take and give to another) land in the South among the former slaves and provide
advanced education and describe (paint a word picture, provide details, show me) the
role of the Freedmen’s Bureau.
Standard Overview-Radical Republicans, as though of by defeated Southerners, created the
Freedmen’s Bureau to aid in assimilating the former slave into society by providing food,
clothing, medicine, managing labor contracts, assisting with education, creating schools, and
building hospitals. However, the Radical Republicans stopped short of distributing land to the
former slaves and this hurt their ability to become agriculturally self-sufficient.
Freedman’s Bureau Created to Help Educate, Clothe, Assist Medically, and Assist the
Former Slave with Labor Issues-Congress created the Freedmen’s Bureau to help African
Americans make the transition to freedom. The Freedmen’s Bureau helped former slaves
solve everyday problems by providing food, clothing, jobs, medicine, and medical-care
facilities. While the Freedman’s Bureau did help some former slaves acquire land unclaimed
by its pre-war owners, Congress did not grant land or the absolute right to own land to
all freed slaves. Such land grants would have provided African Americans with some
level of economic independence. Without it, and with few skills outside of farming, the
newly freed slaves had few options other than entering the sharecropping, crop lien, or
tenant farming system, where they often ended up working for former slaveholders in
conditions little different from slavery.
Sharecropping and Tenant Farming Evolve In the South-Without their own land, freed
African Americans could not grow crops to sell or to feed their families. Economic necessity
thus forced many former slaves to sign labor contracts with planters. Two systems emerged.
In the system of sharecropping, landowners divided their land and gave each worker—either
freed African American or poor white—a few acres, along with seed and tools. At harvest
time, each worker gave a share of his crop, usually half, to the landowner. This share paid the
owner back and ended the arrangement until it was renewed the following year. In theory,
“croppers” who saved a little and bought their own tools could drive a better bargain with
landowners. They might even rent land for cash from the planters, and keep all their
harvest, in a system known as tenant farming. Eventually they might move up the
economic ladder to become outright owners of their farms.
Educational Progress Made By the Former Slave During Reconstruction-During the
Reconstruction period, African Americans made progress in many areas. Some of these gains
lasted, but others did not. Many African American children were able to attend free schools
for the first time. African Americans started newspapers, served in public office, and attended
new colleges and universities established for them. One of these institutions, Morehouse
College, was founded in Atlanta in 1867 as the Augusta Institute. A former slave and two
ministers founded it for the education of African American men in the fields of ministry and
education.
The Former Slaves Seek an Education-Freed slaves flocked to receive an education. By
63
1870, African Americans had spent more than $1 million on education. By 1877, more than
600,000 African Americans were enrolled in elementary schools.
SSUSH10 The student will identify (list characteristics or properties) legal, political,
and social dimensions (importance, extent) of Reconstruction.
c. Describe (paint a word picture, provide details, show me) the significance
(importance) of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments.
Standard Overview-As a condition for re-entry into the Union under Radical Republican
Reconstruction, former Confederate states were required to ratify the 13th, 14th, and 15th
Amendments that were designed to protect the former slave.
The Civil War Amendments
Thirteenth Amendment: This Amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in
the United States.
Fourteenth Amendment: The Fourteenth Amendment made former slaves citizens of the
state within which they lived and citizens of the United States. In the context of
Reconstruction, Congress drafted the Fourteenth Amendment, which provided a
constitutional basis for the Civil Rights Act of 1866. Under the Fourteenth Amendment, all
were entitled to equal protection of the law, and no state could deprive any person of life,
liberty, or property without due process of law. The amendment, however, did not
specifically give African American males the vote. However, it did specify that if any state
prevented a portion of its male citizens from voting, that state would lose a percentage of its
congressional seats equal to the percentage of citizens kept from the polls (a reverse 3/5ths
compromise effect).
Fifteenth Amendment: removed restrictions on voting based on race, color, or ever having
been a slave; it granted the right to vote to all male U.S. citizens over the age of 21.
SSUSH10 The student will identify (list characteristics or properties) legal, political,
and social dimensions (importance, extent) of Reconstruction.
d. Explain (tell about, tell what & why, teach to someone else) Black Codes, the Ku Klux
Klan, and other forms of resistance to racial equality during Reconstruction.
Standard Overview-Southerners may have lost the war, but they were unwilling to “just
give” into the Radical Republican attempts to reconstruct their social status or standing. As a
result white southerners resisted reconstruction efforts in a variety of ways.
White Southern Resistance to Racial Equality By Passing Black Codes-Not all white
Southerners accepted the equal status of former slaves. After the Thirteenth Amendment
abolished slavery, all former slave states enacted Black Codes, which were laws written to
control the lives of freed slaves in ways slaveholders had formerly controlled the lives of
their slaves. Black Codes deprived voting rights to freed slaves and allowed plantation
owners to take advantage of black workers in ways that made it seem that slavery had not
64
been abolished.
Southerners Create Secret Societies Practicing Violence to Resist Reconstruction
Efforts-Other white Southerners formed secret societies that used murder, arson, and other
threatening actions as a means of controlling freed African Americans and of pressuring them
not to vote. The Ku Klux Klan was the worst of these societies. The Klan, or KKK, was
founded by veterans of the Confederate Army to fight against Reconstruction. Some
southern leaders urged the Klan to step down because federal troops would stay in the South
as long as African Americans needed protection from the society. All in all, the readmission
of states proved difficult and led white Southerners to resist Reconstruction and to
regard their Reconstruction state governments as corrupt. It created a solid south,
politically aligned with the Democrat Party.
Southerners Use Derisive Labels for Northerners and Southerners Supporting Radical
Reconstruction- Northerners who traveled to the South to help the former slaves and to
make money were derided as carpetbaggers. This term symbolized a person who owned so
little he could put it all in a carpetbag (suitcase) and move to wherever he might find it
advantageous to move. In this case—moving to the South to take advantage of the defeated
Southerners. On the other hand, Southerners who cooperated with the African Americans,
carpetbaggers, or who supported Radical Republican reconstruction policies were called
scalawags. These two groups also played a role in Reconstruction.
SSUSH10 The student will identify (list characteristics or properties) legal, political,
and social dimensions (importance, extent) of Reconstruction.
e. Explain (tell about, tell what & why, teach to someone else) the impeachment (formal
charges of official misconduct) of Andrew Johnson in relationship to Reconstruction.
Standard Overview-The Radical Republican Congress sought to wrest power from
President Johnson and to control reconstruction when Johnson interfered with their plans by
vetoing the Freedmen’s Bureau and the Civil Rights act of 1866, the latter that was passed
over his veto. Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act of 1867 making it illegal for
President Johnson to fire any of the people the Senate had confirmed as cabinet officials
before Johnson succeeded to the Presidency upon Lincoln’s assassination. This act was
meant to keep several Radical Republicans in Johnson’s Cabinet as they were reporting on
cabinet meetings and Johnson’s plans to leaders of the Republican Senate and House of
Representatives
Congress Moves to Impeach President Andrew Johnson-During the Reconstruction
period, the biggest issue in northern and southern states alike was the impeachment of
President Andrew Johnson. The U.S. Constitution allows Congress to remove the president
from office by impeaching (accusing) him of committing “high crimes and misdemeanors,”
so Radical Republicans impeached Johnson when he ignored laws they had passed to limit
presidential powers. They passed these laws to stop Johnson from curbing the Radical
Republicans’ hostile treatment of former Confederate states and their leaders. After a threemonth trial in the Senate, Johnson missed being convicted by one vote, so the attempt to
remove him from office because he disagreed with and held opinions different than the
Radical Republicans failed.
65
The Compromise of 1877 Leads to the End of Radical Reconstruction in the South
Election of 1876 Leads to Compromise of 1877 and the End of reconstruction-The
Reconstruction Era came to an end when Union troops were withdrawn from the South as
part of the Compromise of 1877, which resulted from the contested 1876 presidential
election between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel Tilden. Tilden, the democrat won the
popular vote but fell 1 vote short in the Electoral College because three Southern states
submitted opposing and contested slates of electors that required a Congressional
commission to determine which slate of electors would be accepted.
Compromise of 1877 is a Deal Between Southern Democrats and Northern Republicans
that Ends Reconstruction in the South by Providing the Contested Electoral Votes to
Hayes, the Republican Candidate-Southern Democrats were willing to accept Hayes as
President if they could get something in return. Southern democrats made a deal and got the
following concessions in agreement for voting to award the disputed electoral votes to
Hayes:
 Withdrawal of Federal troops. First, the South wanted the withdrawal of federal troops
from Louisiana and South Carolina—two of the three Southern states that
Republicans still governed.
 Money to Build a Railroad. Second, the Democrats wanted federal money to build a
railroad from Texas to the West Coast and to improve Southern rivers, harbors, and
bridges.
 A Southerner in the President’s Cabinet. Third, the South wanted Hayes to appoint a
conservative Southerner to the cabinet.
 Republican leaders Agree to Southern Demands. In the Compromise of 1877,
Republican leaders agreed to these demands, and Hayes was peacefully inaugurated.
The acceptance of this compromise meant the end of Radical Reconstruction in the
South.
White Southern Democrats ‘Redeem” the South-When the soldiers left and white
Southerner democrats, called “redeemers,” regained control of their state governments,
African Americans were left unprotected. The new southern governments quickly passed
laws that deprived blacks of their rights and worked to strengthen the segregation of southern
society. Redeeming the southern governments meant white southern democratic control of
the government and the use of the law to deprive blacks of their civil rights.
66
Domain III-Industrialization, Reform, and Imperialism
GPS 11-14
(This Domain will account for 16% of test questions or approximately 13 of 80
questions)
SSUSH11 The student will describe (paint a word picture; provide details;
show me) the economic, social, and geographic impact (influence) of the
growth of big business and technological innovations after Reconstruction.
a. Explain (tell about; tell what and why, teach to someone else) the impact
(influence) of the railroads on other industries, such as steel, and on the
organization of big business.
Standard Overview-The modern United States was created by social changes associated
with the growth of big business and advances in technologies. After Reconstruction,
railroad companies and the steel and oil industries expanded and major inventions
changed how people lived.
Many New Industries Spring Up in Support of the Railroads
Steel-The growth of American railroads helped crate new industries that supplied the railroad
companies’ needs-steel rails lay on wood ties, iron locomotives burning of coal, wooden
freight cars, and passenger cars with fabric-covered seats and glass windows. The railroads
were the biggest customers for the steel industry because thousands of miles of steel track
were laid. In turn, the railroads had a great impact on the steel industry. To supply their
biggest customers, steel producers, using the Bessemer Process, developed cheap, efficient
methods for the mass production of steel rails. These low-cost methods enabled more
industries to afford the steel companies’ products.
Railroads Help Spur Other Industries Besides Steel-The rapid rise of the steel and railroad
industries between the end of the Civil War and the early 1900s spurred the growth of other
big businesses, especially in the oil, financial, and manufacturing sectors of the economy.
These big businesses acquired enormous financial wealth. They often used this wealth to
dominate and control many aspects of American cultural and political life, and as a
consequence of these practices, by the beginning of the 20th century big business became the
target of government reform movements at the state and national levels.
Pullman Sleeping Car Company Develops to Support Railroads-George M. Pullman
created a factory for manufacturing sleeper cars and other railroad cars on the Illinois Prairie.
Pullman went so far as to build housing for his workers, which provided clean housing and
met all the workers basic needs. However, the town remained firmly under Pullman
Company control and it discouraged workers from unionizing.
67
Railroads Help Establish Early Monopolistic Business Model Used in Other IndustriesTo maximize profits and to eliminate one railroad competing with other railroads, the
industry devised a plan using the “pool” method. In the “pool” method each railroad was
given a geographic territory where only it would provide services. This arrangement lessened
any real competition allowing the railroad to charge what it wanted. This was an anticompetitive process and helped to create a monopoly where only one railroad provided
service thereby forcing those who wished to use its services to pay the price it demanded.
SSUSH11 The student will describe (paint a word picture; provide details; show me) the
economic, social, and geographic impact (influence) of the growth of big business and
technological innovations after Reconstruction.
b. Describe (paint a word picture; provide details; show me) the impact of the railroads
in the development of the West; include the transcontinental railroad, and the use of
Chinese labor.
Standard Overview-The U. S. government subsidizes railroad development with grants of
federally owned land. The federal government granted vast areas of western land to railroad
owners so they would lay train track connecting the eastern and western states. The amount
of land given was related to how much track was laid. Thus, railroads needed lots of labor
and the Chinese helped provide the labor needs for the Central Pacific Railroad as they
worked cheaply and were, for all intents and purposes, expendable.
Railroads Impact the Development of the West by Helping to Bind it Together, and also
Help to Create Future Nativistic Sentiment by Using Chinese Laborers Instead of Irish
Immigrants
Railroads Create and Impact New Towns-Trans-continental railroads and regional lines
multiplied such that by 1890 there was nearly 180,000 miles of railroad track. Towns such as
Denver, Seattle Flagstaff, and Kansas all owed their existence and prosperity to the railroads.
Railroads Unify the Nation and Help to Settle the West- The railroad companies
contributed to the development of the West by selling low-cost parcels of their western land
for farming. Settlers traveled west on the trains to farm on the fertile soil. Western farmers
used the trains to ship their grain east, and western cattle ranchers shipped their steers to
eastern butchers. Both farmers and ranchers sold their goods to people they could not easily
reach without railroads. The railroads earned money by transporting the settlers west and the
goods east. The railroads helped to unify the nation.
68
and Central Pacific) met at Promontory Point, Utah. USH 11 b
3. Railroads Develop the West and Help Unify Nation
Development of the West: The railroad companies contributed to the development
of the West by selling low-cost parcels of their western land for farming. Settlers
Railroad
Business
Consistency-To
ensure
reliable time
format,used
railroads
traveled Time
west Creates
on the trains
to farm
on the fertile
soil.a Western
farmers
the
adopted
the
time
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concept.
Time
zones,
an
idea
advanced
by
Professor
C.F.
Dowd,
trains to ship their grain east and western cattle ranchers shipped their steers to
involved dividing the Earth’s surface into 24 separate time zones, one zone for each hour of
eastern butchers. Both farmers and ranchers sold their goods to people they
the day. Under the Dowd plan the United States contained four zones: the Eastern, Central,
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USH 11time
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consistent time for geographic areas and businesses to use throughout the country.
Chinese Laborers Used to Build Central Pacific Railroad-To complete the heavy and
dangerous work of building the railroad through the mountains and passes of the Rockies, the
owners of the Central Pacific Railroad started in Sacramento building towards the east. The
railroad company relied mainly on Chinese laborers. The Union Pacific used Irish workers
and many civil war veterans. The track laid by the Union Pacific did not traverse the Rockies
67speaking, than the route the Central
and was less dangerous to workers, comparatively
Pacific had to take. The first transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869. The two
railroads met in Promontory, Utah.
Chinese Worked More Cheaply than the Irish-Asian immigrants accepted lower pay
than other laborers demanded. They also were not paid a food allowance, as were many of
the Irish workers. The work was dangerous. Many Chinese workers died in the explosive
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blasts they ignited to clear the path across the railroad companies’ land. Many others died
under rockslides and heavy snowfalls.
SSUSH11 The student will describe (paint a word picture; provide details; show me) the
economic, social, and geographic impact (influence) of the growth of big business and
technological innovations after Reconstruction.
c. Identify (provide characteristics, make a connection) John D. Rockefeller and the
Standard Oil Company and the rise of trusts and monopolies.
Standard Overview-Taking their cue from the railroads, other industries sought methods by
which they could create monopolies, lessen business competition so they could control the
market and the price of their services or goods. The oil industry was representative of this
trend.
Rise of the Standard Oil Company Oil-Oil companies grew swiftly in this period, most
notably the Standard Oil Company, founded by John D. Rockefeller. Standard Oil was the
most famous big business of the era. Rockefeller also gained control of most other oil
companies and created what is called a trust. By means of a trust, Rockefeller came to own
more than 90% of America’s oil industry.
Standard Oil Monopolizes the Oil Market-Standard Oil thus became a monopoly––a
single company that controlled virtually all the U. S. oil production and distribution. Trusts
and monopolies significantly reduce competition in the market place. It allows the monopoly
to charge just about whatever it wants for its product, because there is no competition to keep
prices down and under control.
Rockefeller Earns the Infamous Epithet of “Robber Baron”-The Term Robber Baron
applied to cut-throat business leaders. “Robber Baron” was an unflattering and negative
term applied to the “captains of industry” during the Gilded Age (1870-1900) who used
predatory, anti-competitive, business practices to destroy their competition and to erect trusts
and monopolies that gouged the public.
Rockefeller’s Business Tactics-Rockefeller earned the title of “robber baron “ because he
made huge profits by underpaying his employees, driving competitors out of business by
selling oil at a lower price than it cost his competitors to produce, and then after controlling
the market, hiking prices far above their original levels in order to gain back his losses in the
fight to drive his competitors out of business.
Robber Barons in all Industries-Other people such as Andrew Carnegie (steel) and J. P.
Morgan (railroads & banks) used mergers, either vertical (supply and service companies) or
horizontal (competing companies) consolidation, to create monopolies and control of an
industry.
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Political Cartoons Regarding Standard Oil and “Robber Baron” Rockefeller
“The American Beauty Rose can be produced in all its splendor only by sacrificing the early buds
that grow up around it.”— John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
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SSUSH11 The student will describe (paint a word picture; provide details; show me) the
economic, social, and geographic impact (influence) of the growth of big business and
technological innovations after Reconstruction.
d. Describe, (paint a word picture; provide details; show me) the inventions of Thomas
Edison; include the electric light bulb, motion pictures, and the phonograph, and their
impact on American life.
Standard Overview-The effects of technological advances made after Reconstruction
forever changed how people lived as well as opened new activities for leisure..
Impact of Electricity-The most famous inventor of the period is Thomas Alva Edison. He
invented the electric light bulb, the phonograph, motion pictures, a system for
distributing electrical power, and many other technologies powered by electricity. Edison
also established the concept of industrial research, and he founded a research laboratory
staffed by engineers and technicians in New Jersey.
Significance of Electricity on Industry and Society-Edison’s technological achievements
were used by other inventors, as evidenced by the development of long-distance electricity
transmission, which enabled Edison’s electric light to illuminate buildings, streets, and
neighborhoods across the United States. Electricity soon replaced steam as the source of
power for factories. It replaced horses as the means to power streetcars. Of greatest impact,
perhaps, was electricity’s replacing humans as the source of power for household appliances.
Edison’s inventions eliminated much manual labor and improved Americans’ quality of life.
It also meant workers could work longer and be more productive.
Significantly, electricity also meant that factories could now be built anywhere and were
no longer dependent on a water source for the creation/generation of power.
The Invention of Typewriter and Telephone Spur Business Development-Christopher
Scholes invented the typewriter, which significantly impacted businesses. Alexander Graham
Bell invented the telephone, which along with the typewriter created new jobs for women and
affected how office work would be done. In 1870 women made up only 5% of office
workers whereas by 1910 women accounted for nearly 40% of the clerical workforce.
SSUSH12 The student will analyze important consequences of American industrial
growth.
a. Describe Ellis Island, the change in immigrants’ origins to southern and eastern
Europe, and the impact of this change on urban America.
Standard Overview-As the United States became the world’s leading industrial power,
American society changed in many ways. Native Americans were forced to defend lands the
government had earlier promised would be theirs forever. Immigrants found themselves
competing for jobs and banding together to fight for decent working conditions. Immigrants
lived in the cities close to the factories and political machines grew to fill the void regarding
jobs, housing, etc., that the city governments were not equipped to provide and in exchange
the political bosses received the new immigrants votes and flourished in graft and corruption.
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New Patterns of Immigration Develop From Southern and Southeastern Europe-In the
decades after the Civil War, more and more Europeans immigrated to America. They differed
from earlier immigrant groups, who mostly came from northern and Western Europe, were
typically Protestant, spoke English, and arrived with the government’s welcome. In contrast,
many of the new immigrants came from eastern and southern Europe, often were Jewish or
Catholic, and usually spoke no English. The U.S. government welcomed the wealthy among
these new immigrants, but forced poorer people to pass health and welfare tests at
government reception centers such as the Ellis Island Immigrant Station located in New York
Harbor or the Angel Island Immigration Center processing many Asian immigrants located in
San Francisco Bay.
New Immigration Patterns Increase American Urbanization-Whether Asian or European,
these new immigrants tended to settle in urban centers where there were people from the
same countries who spoke the same languages and worshipped in the same ways. Because
poverty and political instability were common in their home countries, the new immigrants
were likely to be poor. They could not afford to buy farmland, so they worked as unskilled
laborers and lived mostly in cities near the source of jobs.
New Immigrants Do Not Assimilate Quickly Into American Culture-The new immigrants
from Southern and Southeastern Europe created their own urban communities to imitate the
cultures of their home countries, and these communities had foreign-language newspapers,
ethnic stores and restaurants, and houses of worship. The new immigrants did not blend into
or assimilate quickly into American society the way earlier immigrants from Western and
Northern Europe had.
SSUSH12 The student will analyze important consequences of American industrial
growth.
b. Identify the American Federation of Labor and Samuel Gompers.
Standard Overview-After the Civil War unions tried to organize unskilled factory workers,
however, industrial owners would blacklist union members, union organizers and force
workers to sign yellow dog contracts agreeing not to join a union if hired and if they did join
a union it was grounds for immediate dismissal. The Knights of Labor faded away as did
the Workingman’s Party of California. The most successful union during the Gilded Age
(1870-1900) was the American Federation of Labor (AFL), which consisted of skilled
craftsman, had more power to negotiate contracts because of their needed skills. The AFL
president, Samuel Gompers, stressed bread and butter union issues like working condition,
pay, and other benefits. He used collective bargaining and strikes to win workers rights.
The American Federation of Labor and Samuel Gompers-Unskilled laborers were subject
to low wages, long workdays, no vacations, and unsafe workplaces. Because individual
workers had little power to change the way an employer ran a business, workers banded
together in labor unions to demand better pay and working conditions through a process
called “collective bargaining.” Then the labor unions banded together to form a larger
organization for even more power to change the ways employers ran their businesses. The
American Federation of Labor, (AFL), was led by Samuel Gompers and consisted of a
number of specific skill unions (like cigar makers, boiler makers, etc.). Gompers was
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president of the AFL from 1886 to 1894 and again from 1895 to his death in 1924. His goal
was to use strikes (work stoppages) to convince employers to give workers shorter
workdays, better working conditions, higher wages, and greater control over how they carried
out their workplace responsibilities.
SSUSH12 The student will analyze important consequences of American industrial
growth.
d. Describe the 1894 Pullman strike as an example of industrial unrest.
Background Regarding the Growth of Industrial Unrest-As American industries grew so
did the labor movement. The labor union grew out of workers being exploited, unsafe
working conditions, and poor pay. Injuries were common In 1882, an average of 675 laborers
were killed each week in work-related accidents. Wages were generally so low that families
could not survive unless everyone in the family held a job. Between 1890 and 1910 the
number of women in the workforce doubled from 4 to 8,000,000. Child labor was rampant.
Labor unions were aggressively opposed by factory owners and industrialists.
The 1894 Pullman Strike is Representative of Labor Strikes-During poor economic times
in the 1870s and 1890s, violence erupted when employers sought to fire some workers and to
lower the wages of those still employed. In 1894, when the Pullman railcar factory near
Chicago fired almost half its workforce, and cut wages by 25% to 50%, its workers went on
strike. Other railway workers refused to switch Pullman cars on or off trains. Rail traffic west
of Chicago came to a halt.
Many Union Leaders Were Socialists That Did Not Believe in Private Ownership of
Property and Thus Represented A Threat to Capitalism-Many unions, like the American
Railway Union (run by Eugene V. Debs) and the International Workers of the World,
nicknamed the “wobblies,” run by William “Wild Bill” Haywood were socialists who did
not believe in the private ownership of businesses. Unions also had developed a poor
reputation among voters because many of their early strikes resulted in violence such as the
Haymarket Affair in Chicago in 1886 where strikers and some police were killed as well as
the Homestead Steel Strike of 1892 wherein several Pinkerton Detectives providing security
for strikebreakers and a number of striking workers were killed when violence erupted. Both
big business and the U.S. government feared labor unions were a menace to America’s
capitalist economy
Significance of the 1894 Pullman Strike Because of Employer Response to the StrikeThe strike is significant as it is a good example of what tactics business owners responded
with when union workers initiated a strike:
 “Scabs” or strike breakers used-Strikebreakers were often hired and the strike
breakers were known as scabs to the union members.
 Refuse to recognize Union leadership-Management generally refused to recognize or
negotiate with unions as the representatives of the workers.
 Fire and blacklist union leaders and workers-Many employers fired union members,
and those who tried to organize unions were likewise fired and blacklisted from
employment any where in the industry.
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 Owners required workers to sign “yellow dog contracts”-Employers also forced
new employees to sign “yellow dog contracts” promising not to join a union.
 Appeal to government for intervention on interstate commerce grounds-Local
politicians and industrialists often appealed to state governors or federal authorities to
send in troops to break the strike on the grounds of the strike interfering with
interstate commerce, or that the strike constituted a conspiracy to thwart interstate
commerce. With the state and federal governments supporting the industrialists,
union workers/strikers could not prevail.
 Used the Sherman Anti-Trust Act to Break Union Strikes-Industrial leaders also,
with the help of the courts, began using the Sherman Antitrust Act against labor
unions referring to strikes as a “conspiracy to interfere with interstate trade.”
Injunctions against striking unions were often issued by the courts. Nonetheless
workers, especially those in craft or skilled unions, continued to view unions as a
powerful tool. By WWI, there were nearly 2,000,000 AFL members.
SSUSH12 The student will analyze important consequences of American industrial
growth.
c. Describe the growth of the western population and its impact on Native Americans,
with reference to Sitting Bull and Wounded Knee.
Standard Overview-The growth of the western population on what had traditionally been
Native American lands led to the Plains Indian Wars. The lure of opportunity, cheap land,
and gold caused Americans to move westward putting them in conflict with the Native
Americans. In 1851 the Fort Laramie Treaty between the United States and the Plains Indians
struck a deal where the Plains Indians would not attack settlers and would not attack certain
military forts being built and roads being constructed for westward movement. In exchange,
the United States government guaranteed certain lands and freedom of movement in those
lands to the Plains Indians. However, when gold was discovered the U.S. tried to buy the
land. Some Indians such as Sitting Bull would not sign these treaties. Sitting Bull fought the
U. S. but was ultimately defeated and forced onto a new reservation. Most treaty promises by
the U. S. were not kept. Helen Hunt Jackson, in her book, A Century of Dishonor, cataloged
the many broken promises and treaties made by the U.S. government with the various tribes.
Sitting Bull Representative of The Plains Indian Wars-As eastern regions of the United
States became more industrialized after the Civil War, people seeking rural livelihoods
moved farther and farther west. In turn, Native Americans had to compete with these
newcomers for land. For example, the Sioux signed a treaty with the U.S. government
promising “no white person or persons shall be permitted to settle upon or occupy” Sioux
territory in the Dakotas but, when gold was discovered there, the government tried to buy the
land from the Sioux, who refused to sell it. The Sioux leader, Sitting Bull, then fought U.S.
Army troops, massacring Custer and elements of the 7th U. S. Cavalry at the Battle of Little
Bighorn. Sitting Bull then led his people to a brief exile in Canada, but finally agreed to
settle on a new reservation.
The Battle of Wounded Knee /a/k/a the Massacre at Wounded Knee Ends the Plains
Indian Wars-About 10 years later, Sitting Bull’s people became associated with a Sioux
religious movement. The Native Americans believed their ceremonies (the Ghost Dance)
75
would cleanse the world of evil, including cleansing the world of the white man, and restore
the Sioux’s lost greatness. Government officials ordered Sitting Bull’s arrest. He died in a
brief gun battle. After Sitting Bull died, several hundred of his people fled to an area of South
Dakota called Wounded Knee. U. S. soldiers went there to confiscate weapons from the
Sioux. A gun was fired––nobody knows by whom––and U.S soldiers then opened machinegun fire, killing more than 300 Sioux. This ended the Native Americans’ long conflict against
Americans settling Native American lands.
SSUSH13 The student will identify major efforts to reform American society and
politics in the Progressive Era.
a. Explain (tell about; tell what and why; teach to someone else) Upton Sinclair’s The
Jungle and federal oversight of the meat packing industry.
Standard Overview-The progress of business and industry inspired reformers to make
important improvements in America’s political and social environment. These reformers
were known as Progressives. Progressive reforms strengthened American democracy in ways
we carry forward into our own time. Meanwhile, African Americans found themselves left
out of reform efforts when white southern democrat denied basic civil rights to black citizens.
Progressive Movement Background-Progressivism, or the progressive movement,
aimed to restore control of government to the people, restore economic opportunity,
and correct injustices in American life. There were four main progressive goals:




Protecting social welfare;
Promoting moral improvement;
Creating economic reform; and,
Fostering efficiency.
Muckrakers Expose Political Corruption and Predatory Business Practices-Many
reforms came about after journalists investigated and exposed political corruption, child
labor, slum conditions, and other social issues. Upton Sinclair and Ida Tarbell were both
journalists called “muckrakers”, who were part of a broader movement known as the
“Progressive Movement.” They were perhaps the most famous of the “muckraking”
journalists.
Upton Sinclair Exposes Terrible Unsanitary Conditions n the Chicago Meatpacking
Industry-In his novel The Jungle, Sinclair told the story of European immigrants working in
Chicago’s meatpacking industry. The book exposed the poor labor practices and unsanitary
conditions that produced contaminated food (rat feces, rat urine, rat poison, humans falling
into the vats and becoming part of the meat that was processed). Congress was pressured to
pass laws to regulate the meatpacking industry (Meat Inspection Act of 1906) and to require
meat packers and other food producers to produce food that was safe to consume (the Pure
Food and Drug Act). These laws favored the consumer.
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SSUSH13 The student will identify major efforts to reform American society and
politics in the Progressive Era.
b. Identify (provide characteristics; make a connection) Jane Addams and Hull House
and describe the role of women in reform movements.
Standard Overview-The Progressives supported new ideas and policies they believed would
improve people’s lives. Women were leaders in this movement.. Their efforts to improve
living conditions for the poor in cities led to more and better libraries, schools, hospitals, and
parks. One of these leaders was Jane Addams of the American Settlement House Movement.
Jane Addams and The Settlement House Reform Movement Provide Services to New
Immigrants-Women progressives, in particular, sponsored laws to end child labor and to
require government inspections of workplaces. Jane Addams brought a British idea, the
settlement house, to the United States, when she established Hull House in Chicago. Hull
House was a social service agency that provided trained workers to help recent
immigrants and working-class citizens learn about home economics, basic medical care,
the English language, legal rights, and other topics important to low-income urban
residents. Not included in this social work were attempts to help the African American
community gain civil rights.
Other Issues Addams Supported-Jane Addams also was also a progressive, a pacifist, and
an ardent supporter of women’s suffrage (right to vote). In 1912, she gave the nominating
speech at the Progressive Party Convention for Theodore Roosevelt’s nomination for
President-an event, which marked the growing power of women in America. She was a
supporter of many “social justice issues” like voting, political reform, worker’s rights etc.
SSUSH13 The student will identify major efforts to reform American society and
politics in the Progressive Era.
c. Describe (paint a word picture; provide details; show me) the rise of Jim Crow, Plessy
v. Ferguson, and the emergence of the NAACP.
Standard Overview-With the end of Radical Reconstruction in the South, white Southern
democrats ushered in the age of “Jim Crow,” which were laws deliberately designed to
enforce the segregation of the races. These “Jim Crow” laws were held to be constitutional by
the U. S. Supreme Court, provide segregated public facilities were “separate but equal.” The
rise of “Jim Cow’ laws also gave rise to organizations like the NAACP working to achieve
equality for African Americans.
“Jim Crow’ Laws and the Supreme Court Create a Segregated American SocietySouthern and border states passed segregation laws that required separate public and private
facilities for African Americans. These were called Jim Crow laws (after a character in an
old minstrel song) and resulted in inferior education, health care, and transportation systems
for African Americans. They suffered racial discrimination and segregation under Jim Crow
that was worse than what they had encountered during reconstruction after the Civil War. In
1896, the U. S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of Jim Crow laws in Plessy v.
Ferguson under the “separate but equal” doctrine. The Court ruled racial segregation was
77
legal in public accommodations such as railroad cars, hotels, restaurants, hospitals, etc., thus
holding that the “equal protection clause” of the 14th Amendment was not violated so long as
all public facilities were “separate but equal.”
Two Schools of Thought Develop Regarding How African Americans Should Oppose
Jim Crow Laws- African Americans disagreed about how to best oppose Jim Crow laws.
Immediate and Full Social and Economic Integration Demanded by One School of
Thought-One group, led by W.E.B. Dubois, sought immediate and full social and economic
equality for African Americans They eventually formed the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People to seek full civil rights for African Americans. Better
known today as the NAACP, this group still keeps its original name in honor of the people
who founded it to help overturn Plessy v. Ferguson.
The Other School of Thought Urged Blacks to Develop Their Skills and Gradually
Work Towards Social and Economic Integration-The other school of thought was
articulated by Booker T. Washington, founder of Tuskegee Institute, who advocated a more
gradual approach to full economic and social equality between the races. He felt African
Americans should concentrate on learning skills and trades and focus on economic
independence that would eventually lead to social integration and equality. He articulated
his ideas in an 1896 speech delivered at the Cotton Exposition in Atlanta. His concept
became known as the Atlanta Compromise.
SSUSH13 The student will identify major efforts to reform American society and
politics in the Progressive Era.
d. Explain (tell about; tell what and why; teach to someone else) Ida Tarbell’s role as a
muckraker.
Standard Overview-Ida Tarbell was the most famous of the women muckrakers exposing
political and municipal graft and corruption as well as exposing predatory, anticompetitive
practices of John D. Rockefeller and the Standard Oil Company.
Ida Tarbell Exposes the Predatory and Anti-competitive Business Practices of John D.
Rockefeller and the Standard Oil Company-In a series of magazine articles, appearing
over a 16 week period in McClure’s Magazine, Tarbell exposed and criticized Standard Oil
Company’s predatory, anticompetitive, and unfair unfair business practices. Her findings
angered the public and contributed to the government’s decision to use anti-trust laws to
break up the Standard Oil Trust. She also was instrumental in exposing political corruption in
New York, Chicago, and other cities.
SSUSH13 The student will identify major efforts to reform American society and
politics in the Progressive Era.
e. Describe (paint a word picture; provide details; show me) the significance of
progressive reforms such as the initiative, recall, and referendum; direct election of
senators; reform of labor laws; and efforts to improve living conditions for the poor in
cities.
78
Standard Overview-Progressives supported increased government regulation of business
and industry, efforts to protect consumers and workers, and policies to conserve natural
resources. They also wanted to make government more responsive to the people and
supported reforms such as the initiative, referendum, recall, direct election of senators, and
direct primary elections of the major political parties.
Initiative, Referendum, and Recall are Progressive Political Reform Measures-The
Progressives also opposed political bosses and had scorn for citizens’ lack of control over
them. Progressive election reforms helped to increase ordinary citizens’ direct control of
government in these ways:
Direct Election of Senators Via the 17th Amendment-Another Progressive reform was the
direct election of senators. Under the U. S. Constitution, each state’s legislature elected that
state’s U.S. senators. The Progressives favored the adoption of an amendment to the
Constitution that gave voters the right to elect their U.S. senators. They succeeded in their
efforts with the adoption of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913. Progressives were also
responsible for the “direct party primary” at the state level wherein voters selected the
candidates of each political party to run against one another in the general election
Women Are Leaders on Many Progressive Issues-Jane Addams also influenced people
like Florence Kelley who lobbied for and won legislative battles that protected women
and child laborers. During this time (1890s onward) a million single women joined the
workforce earning money to help their families, and having some left over to use to enjoy
going to amusement parks. Susan B. Anthony was also active in the women’s suffrage
movement that had started in 1848 with the Seneca Falls Conference. Carrie Nation
worked for prohibition of alcohol, and Francis Willard transformed the Women’s
Christian Temperance Movement into a national organization with nearly a quarter
million members by 1911.
SSUSH13 The student will identify major efforts to reform American society and
politics in the Progressive Era.
f. Describe, (paint a word picture; provide details; show me) the conservation
movement and the development of national parks and forests; include the role of
79
Theodore Roosevelt.
Standard Overview-Toward the latter part of the 19th Century Theodore Roosevelt was
active in hunting clubs, and in preserving the natural resources of the country. As
President he used his executive power to set aside millions of acres for public parks and
championed other conservation measures.
President Theodore Roosevelt Begins Conservation Movement-The Progressive
Movement also extended to the area of conservation. Perhaps President Roosevelt’s greatest
achievement was setting aside 148 million acres of wilderness lands, particularly in western
states by executive order and creating a National Park Service. His efforts led to the
establishment of a national park system that included Yosemite in California and
Yellowstone in Wyoming. He was a charter member of the Sierra Club along with naturalist
John Muir. The Newlands Act, passed during his administration, put the federal government
in charge of western water development.
Appoints Gifford Pinchot to Head the U. S. Forestry Service-Roosevelt was instrumental
in appointing Gifford Pinchot as head of the U.S. Forest Service. Pinchot was a staunch
conservationist who shared Roosevelt’s view that America’s natural resources were not
unlimited.
SSUSH14 The student will explain (tell about; tell what and why; teach to someone
else) America’s evolving (developing) relationship with the world at the turn of the
twentieth century.
a. Explain (tell about; tell what and why; teach to someone else) the Chinese Exclusion
Act of 1882 and anti-Asian immigration sentiment on the west coast.
Standard Overview- As the 20th century approached, the United States entered the world
stage as an influence at least equal to such traditional powers as Britain and France. Soon the
United States would emerge from the Spanish-American War as a great world power.
However, on the U. S. West Coast, Asian Americans encountered racial discrimination and
segregation.
Nativism (anti-immigrant sentiments/feelings) Grows Regarding Asian Immigration-In
earlier decades, Asians had immigrated to California, and other areas of the American West
to work on the railroads. Then, in the 1880s, Asian Americans faced significant antiimmigrant sentiment, primarily on west (pacific) coast. On the west coast thousands of
Chinese and Japanese immigrated into California through Angel Island. Between 1851 and
1883, about 300,000 Chinese arrived.
Chinese Accepted Lower Wages Thereby Lowering Wages for all Workers-When
Chinese immigrants accepted low wages for jobs whites had held employers lowered the pay
for all workers. This angered the white workers. Further, in 1873 anti-Asian sentiment
reached a fever pitch because of the Panic of 1873, a very deep economic recession, made
worse for white workers who could not compete for jobs with Asians who would work for
much less. The California Workingman’s Party, led by Denis Kearney, and the Knights of
Labor, led by Terence V. Powderly, lobbied and encouraged Congress to pass the Chinese
80
Exclusion Act of 1882, which banned all future Chinese immigration. This ban lasted till
1943.
Political Advertisement Supporting Chinese Exclusion
Anti-Japanese Sentiments Also Strong on the West (Pacific) Coast
Anti-Japanese Feeling Develops as Well-In 1884, the Japanese government allowed
Hawaiian planters to recruit Japanese workers, and a Japanese emigration boom began. The
United States’ annexation of Hawaii in 1898 resulted in increased Japanese immigration to
the West Coast. Immigration continued to increase as word of comparatively high American
wages spread. The Japanese immigration wave peaked in 1907, when 30, 000 people left
Japan for the United States. By 1920, more than 200,000 Japanese lived on the West Coast.
Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1906 Limits Japanese Immigration-Japanese Americans also
faced racial prejudice and segregation on the west coast, especially in San Francisco. It was
against California law for them to buy land or to become U. S. citizens, and the San
Francisco Board of Education segregated Japanese students. This led to official diplomatic
protests from the Japanese government. President Roosevelt and the Japanese foreign
minister worked out an agreement to limit Japanese immigration and in return, President
Roosevelt pressured the San Francisco Board of Education to stop Japanese segregation. This
agreement was not a formal treaty, which is why it was called the Gentlemen’s
Agreement.
SSUSH14 The student will explain (tell about; tell what and why; teach to someone
else) America’s evolving (developing) relationship with the world at the turn of the
twentieth century.
b. Describe (paint a word picture; provide details; show me) the Spanish-American
War, the war in the Philippines, and the debate over American expansionism.
Standard Overview-There were four main pillars of support for American Expansionism in
the late 19th and Early 20th Century: (1) Global competition around the world; (2) A desire for
a strong military and navy; (3) Need for new markets for American goods; and, (4)A belief in
American (Anglo-Saxon) cultural superiority. In the last decades of the 19th century, some
81
Americans were eager to spread democracy into Latin America and other world regions.
Other Americans argued that American expansion was not the best way to spread America‘s
democratic traditions. Nonetheless, the U. S. entered the Spanish American War in 1898 and
rapidly defeated Spain and emerging from the war as a World Power. Under the Presidency
of Theodore Roosevelt, America actively sought a more prominent role in International
Affairs and expanded its reach with a more powerful navy and the creation of the Panama
Canal.
American Expansionism based on Naval and Commercial Needs. Admiral Albert Thayer
Mahan was a U. S. naval officer who lived from 1840 to 1914 and he wrote The Influence of
Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783.
Sea Power Protects and Enhances Commerce. Admiral Mahan considered “sea power” as
including the overlapping concepts of command of the sea through military naval superiority,
and a combination of maritime commerce, overseas possessions, and privileged access to
foreign markets. These things, felt Mahan, produced national “wealth and greatness.”
A Strong Navy Protects Commerce- As a result, Admiral Mahan’s views influenced
American expansionism in that America should expand such as to have sufficient Naval
bases and refueling stations throughout the world, so that America could compete
economically. It should have a navy that enabled the U. S. to project power to protect its
economic interests any where in the world.
Spanish-American War Viewed By Some as American Imperialism-In 1898, the United
States went to war with Spain after the Spanish refused to grant independence to rebels
fighting a revolutionary war in Cuba, a Spanish colony. The Spanish were accused of
inhumanity by corralling civilians in concentration camps where many died of disease from
unsanitary conditions. “Yellow journalism” (newspapers running sensational stories not
necessarily backed up by facts) played a major role in encouraging the U. S. government to
seek a military solution to the Cuban war for independence. “Yellow Journalists” whipped
up-anti Spanish feelings with lurid newspaper stories about the death and inhumanity of the
Spanish concentration camps.
Expansion Supporters seek New Territory-Supporters of American expansion were eager
to go to war with Spain to gain U.S. territory in Latin America, which also led to a ”war
fever” that similarly encouraged the U. S. government to go to war to militarily deal with the
Cuban independence movement from Spain
Spanish-American War Represents American Imperialism and America’s Emergence
as a World Power-Other Americans argued that American expansion (imperialism) was
not the best way to spread America’s democratic traditions. Regardless, in 1898, the United
States went to war with Spain after the Spanish refused to grant independence to rebels
fighting a revolution in Cuba. America emerged from the war with significant oversees
territory won from the Spanish.
America Gains New Territories As A Result of the War-The Spanish-American war lasted
less than four months. The Spanish were driven out of Cuba, which became an independent
country, and out of Puerto Rico, which became an American territory or protectorate.
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America also gained Guam and the Philippines as a result of the war. America had a truly
global presence and emerged from the Spanish-American War as a world power.
Philippine-American War Begins When America Refuses to Grant the Philippines
Independence-The first battles bid Naval battles of the Spanish-American War took place in
the Philippines, another Spanish colony that Spain refused to grant independence to rebels
fighting a revolutionary war. The U.S. Navy quickly defeated the Spanish Navy, and
Americans debated whether the United States should expand its territory to include the
Philippines, or to respect Filipino independence. When the U. S. military was ordered to keep
the Philippines as an American territory, the Philippine-American War broke out in 1899.
The war lasted about three years. In the end, the Philippines remained a U.S. territory until
1946 when it was granted its independence. The U. S. wanted to keep the Philippines as a
base of operations for trade with China and other Asian countries.
Significance of the Spanish American War Is That America Emerges From War As A
World Power. Out of this war, America emerged as a world power. The U.S. had the third
largest Navy in the world. The acquisition of the Philippines gave the U.S. a base from which
to expand her Asian and Chinese trade. Puerto Rico and Guam became American
territory, as did the Philippines (for which America compensated Spain $20 million).
Treaty Ending war Sparks Debate Regarding American Imperialism. The war ended
with the Treaty of Paris (1898) but the treaty debate called into question the concept of
American imperialism. America was now fighting Filipinos who wanted independence using
the same concentration camp tactics as had Spain in Cuba; and the U.S. was imposing its will
on Cuba via the Platt Amendment requiring Cuba to accept certain conditions such as:
1. Cuba could not make treaties that might limit its independence or permit a foreign
power to control any part of its territory;
2. The United States reserved the right to intervene in Cuba;
3. Cuba was not to go into debt; and,
4. The United States could buy or lease land on the island for naval stations and
refueling stations (the U. S. leased Guantanamo Bay in perpetuity).
Puerto Rico Becomes an American Protectorate-Similarly, Puerto Rico became subject to
the Foraker Act. In 1900, Congress passed the Foraker Act, which ended military rule in
Puerto Rico, and set up a civil government.
1. The act gave the president of the United States the power to appoint Puerto Rico’s
governor and members of the upper house of its legislature. Puerto Ricans could elect only
the members of the legislature’s lower house.
2. Puerto Rico was subject to American foreign policy.
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Political Cartoon of The Day Showing A Hungry Uncle Sam Getting Ready to
Order Dinner From the Expansionist Bill of Fare Offered By President McKinley
A Map Depicting American Expansionism from 1867 to 1900
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SSUSH14 The student will explain (tell about; tell what and why; teach to someone
else) America’s evolving (developing) relationship with the world at the turn of the
twentieth century.
c. Explain (tell about; tell what and why; teach to someone else) U.S. involvement in
Latin America, as reflected by the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine and the
creation of the Panama Canal.
Standard Overview-In the later part of the 19th Century and early 20th Century many Latin
American nations had borrowed huge sums of money from European banks to build railroads
and develop industries. President Theodore Roosevelt feared that if these nations defaulted
on their loans, Europeans might try to intervene militarily. Roosevelt reminded European
powers of the Monroe Doctrine, which had been issued in 1823 by President James Monroe.
The Monroe Doctrine demanded that European countries stay out of the affairs of Latin
American nations. Stated another way, the U. S. would not allow Europe to take advantage of
the area, even if were to become unstable. Also, because America now had territories in the
Caribbean and the Pacific, Roosevelt sought to build the Panama Canal to swiftly move naval
and commercial vessels from the Pacific to the Caribbean and Atlantic areas.
The Roosevelt Corollary (extension) to the Monroe Doctrine of 1823 Also Known as the
“Walk Softly but Carry a Big Stick” Policy-Roosevelt based his Corollary (extension) to
the Monroe Doctrine on a West African proverb that said, “Speak softly and carry a big
stick.” In his December 1904 message to Congress, Roosevelt added the Roosevelt Corollary
to the Monroe Doctrine. He warned that disorder in Latin America might “force the United
States . . . to … exercise [the power] of an international police [man].” Roosevelt announced
to the world that the United States maintained the right to intervene in Caribbean and Latin
American countries in economic crisis, regardless of whether a European power intended to
intervene or not. In effect, the corollary said that the United States would now use force
to protect its economic interests in Latin America and that the U. S. might intervene in
the Western Hemisphere on behalf of other European countries economic interests
rather than allowing the European country to intervene.
Political Cartoon Depicting Roosevelt Using the Navy as a Debt Collector in the
Caribbean
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A Graphic History of Roosevelt Corollary Interventions and other U.S. Intervention
Activity in Latin America and the Caribbean
Roosevelt and the Building of the Panama Canal
America Seeks to Build the Panama Canal-America now controlled territory in the
Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Seeking a faster sea route from the Atlantic to the Pacific than
the voyage around the tip of South America allowed, the U. S. government built a shipping
canal across the narrow Central American country of Panama that had been controlled by
Columbia.
Roosevelt Supports and Encourages a Panamanian Independence Movement to Gain
Control of the Isthmus of Panama When Columbia Refuses to Negotiate a Canal
Treaty-President Roosevelt supported a Panamanian independence movement from
Columbia when the Columbians refused to negotiate with the U.S. regarding the building of
the Canal. Roosevelt recognized the new Panamanian government within hours and sent the
U. S. navy to protect the fledging country and immediately signed a canal treaty with the new
country of Panama whose foreign minister was a French National with an interest in selling
the French Canal claims to the U.S. The Panama Canal was the biggest engineering project
of the era. When the Panama Canal opened in 1914, a voyage from San Francisco to New
York was cut from 14,000 miles to about 6,000 miles.
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Content Domain IV: Establishment as a World Power
GPS 15-20
(This Domain will account for 24% of test questions or approximately 19 of 80 questions)
SSUSH15: The student will analyze (break down into pieces; study; dissect)
the origins (beginnings) and impact (influence; importance) of U. S.
involvement in World War I.
a. Describe, (paint a word picture; provide details; show me) the movement
from U.S. neutrality to engagement in World War I, with reference to
unrestricted submarine warfare.
Standard Overview-Though reluctant to get involved in the European War, the United States was,
by a series of events, forced to enter World War I. The aftermath of WW I led to a desire of the U. S.
to seek isolation from European affairs and to remain behind the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean
walls. However, the 1930s saw the rise of communism, Nazism, fascism, and Japanese militarism
that threatened not only European security, but American security as well. America found itself
trying to support Britain when war broke out in America, but President Franklin D. Roosevelt had to
contend with isolationists in Congress. America was forced into the War when Japan sneak attacked
Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. America became the great arsenal of democracy and was allied
with the Soviet Union, but this alliance fell apart after the end of WW II. The Soviet Union and its
communist government wanted to see the destruction of capitalism thereby ushering in the Cold War
and America’s response to it by the containment theory that sought to stop the spread of communism
any where in the world. The Cold War lasted from 1945 till 1991. The Soviet Union began to lose its
grip on Eastern Europe with the Solidarity independence movement in Poland and the fall of the
Berlin Wall and reunification of East and West Germany in 1989-1990. The Cold War officially
ended with the breakup/fall of the Soviet Union in early 1991.
Background and Origins of World War I-The World In the early 20th Century and the 3
“isms” and the Alliance System Causing WW I. World War I was caused by four main
factors:
a. nationalism: the devotion to the interests and culture of one’s own
nation;
b. imperialism: the building of empire’s and the extension of a
nation’s power and control of raw materials, markets, and peoples;
c. militarism: development of a nation’s armed forces as an adjunct to
its foreign policy; and,
d. alliances: major defensive alliances by competing powers, some of
which were secret and unknown to other powers.
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America Announces Neutrality at the Start of WWI-When World War I began in Europe in
1914, President Woodrow Wilson was determined to guarantee U. S. neutrality, although U. S.
economic policies favored Britain and the allies. President Wilson hoped to keep the United States
out of the war. America, as a neutral favored the international law concept of “freedom of the
seas” meaning that as a neutral, the U. S. could trade with all sides in the war.
Germany Practices “Unrestricted Submarine Warfare” That Threatens the Concept of
Freedom of the Seas-In 1915, the luxury liner Lusitania was sunk by a German submarine,
killing most of the people onboard, including more than 100 U.S. citizens. This led to a crisis
between the United States and Germany that was only resolved when Germany, in the 1916 Sussex
Pledge, agreed to abandon unrestricted submarine warfare that endangered U. S. trade and
American lives.
Germany Renews Unrestricted Submarine Warfare in 1917 to try to Defeat Britain and
France-However, in 1917, Germany again resumed unrestricted submarine warfare, creating great
anti-German feelings among Americans. The German decision to resume unrestricted submarine
warfare was a direct threat to the principle of freedom of the seas. Germany reinstituted the use
of unrestricted submarine warfare because the British blockade was causing major food
shortages in Germany and it needed to break the blockade and cause problems for English
shipping.
American Shipping Attacked-Four unarmed, American merchant ships were torpedoed with
the loss of 36 lives. American insistence on freedom of the seas, which the submarine
threatened, led to America declaring war on Germany in April of 1917. The United States
entered the war as an Ally on the side of Britain, France, and Russia (Russia later left the alliance
after the Bolshevik Revolution). America, as an ally, fought against the Central Powers consisting of
Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Ottoman Empire.
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The Sinking of and Allied Vessel by Germany’s Use of Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
The Zimmerman Telegram Helps Convince America to go to War as well because
Germany offers Mexico U.S. Territory for an Alliance-Also, the decision to go to war was
made easier by the German foreign minister’s communication with Mexico (leaked to the
American press by British intelligence) in January of 1917 promising that Mexico would be
given American land acquired in the Mexican-American War if Mexico would declare war on
the U.S. This was known as the Zimmermann Telegram. These events moved America from
neutrality to war.
SSUSH15: The student will analyze (break down into pieces; study; dissect) the origins
(beginnings) and impact (influence; importance) of U. S. involvement in World War I.
b. Explain, (tell about; tell what and why; teach to someone else) the domestic impact
(influence; importance) of World War I, as reflected by the origins of the Great Migration,
the Espionage Act, and socialist Eugene V. Debs.
Standard Overview-America granted the President sweeping powers to fight the war and he
used this power to stifle criticism of the war, to mobilize the entire American economy to
support the war effort, and to justify and propagandize the war on high moral grounds such that
the American people were disappointed by the aftermath of the war and the Peace Treaty
containing the League of Nations. Because of this disappointment, Americans wanted to avoid
European conflicts and became very isolationistic and wanted a post-war “return to normalcy.”
Domestic Impact of the War-Domestically, America prepared for war by giving President
Wilson sweeping powers.
Gearing Up for War-The War Industries Board was created and run by Bernard
Baruch. The WIB encouraged mass production techniques and production increased 20%. It
controlled prices at the wholesale level but not the retail level, and retail prices and corporate
profits soared.
Propagandizing the War on Moral Grounds-The Committee on Public Information
run by George Creel propagandized the war as the “war to end all wars” and the war to make
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the “world safe for democracy.” This unrealistically raised American expectations about
the aftermath of the war and led to disillusionment by the American people.
World War I and Its Impact on the United States-The war created an industrial boom in the
United States and many new jobs in northeastern and mid-western cities. African Americans, tired of
living under the repression that was common in the South, moved to the North by the thousands and
established themselves in ethnically distinct and culturally rich neighborhoods. This movement of
African Americans, which had begun in 1914 because of the Boll Weevil infestation of cotton crops
in the South, accelerated during the war years. This mass movement of African Americans to the
north was called the Great Migration.
Constitutional Rights under the First Amendment Restricted in Time of War-During the war
laws were passed that prohibited people from speaking out against it. The Espionage Act and the
Sedition Act both passed in 1917 made it a crime to communicate any information that would
interfere with U.S. military operations or aid its enemies.
President Wilson Supports Limiting Criticism of the War Effort-Wilson supported laws to
silence critics and pacifists (Espionage Act and the Sedition Act). The Supreme Court upheld this
wartime law on the grounds of national security in the decision of Schenck v. United States (1919).
Espionage Act and Sedition Act used to Prosecute Socialists and other Union Leaders- Labor
leader Eugene V. Debs, the Socialist Party’s presidential candidate in 1904, 1908, and 1912, was
convicted for hindering military recruiting by making a speech against the war; he was tried and
convicted under the law and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Debs ran for President in 1920 while a
federal inmate in prison. Many people supported such laws although they violated the spirit of
the First Amendment. However, civil libertarians grew increasingly concerned when it appeared
that labor unionists who criticized the war and the drafting of young men for the war were
prosecuted, convicted and jailed for expressing their views.
SSUSH15 The student will analyze (break down into pieces; study; dissect) the origins
(beginnings) and impact (influence; importance) of U. S. involvement in World War I.
c. Explain (tell about; tell what and why; teach to someone else) Wilson’s Fourteen Points
and the Proposed League of Nations.
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American War Aims Announced Before America Declares War
The Fourteen Points, announced in a speech on January 18, 1917, were divided into three major
groupings, but the first five points were Wilson’s prescription for preventing future wars:
a. No secret treaties between nations;
b. Freedom of the seas for all nations;
c. Tariffs and economic barriers should be lowered or abolished to promote free
trade;
d. Arms should be reduced to the lowest point consistent with national safety to
prevent military responses to diplomatic emergencies; and,
e. Colonial policies should consider the interests of the colonial peoples and the
interests of the imperialist powers (self-determination).
f. In the next 8 points, President Wilson promoted the concept of selfdetermination for the people of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire as well as
contiguous borders for Italy and other European countries. He supported other border changes,
based on ethnicity.
e. The 14th Point, (the most important and most dear point to President Wilson)
was the creation of a League of Nations (an early version of the United Nations).
During the post-war treaty negotiations, Wilson worked hard to get as many as possible of his
Fourteen Points included in the treaty and he insisted on and succeeded in securing the creation
of the League of Nations.
Wilson Makes A Grave Political Mistake by Deliberately Ignoring and Disrespecting the
Republican Controlled Senate that would Have to Ratify (approve) the Peace Treaty-But at
the Paris Peace Conference Wilson deliberately snubbed and refused to involve the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee chairman in helping to represent or craft the American position
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regarding the Peace Treaty and as a result, there was significant Senate sentiment (feeling)
against a League of Nations.
Senate Republicans Oppose and Reject the League of Nations Found in Article X of the
Proposed Peace Treaty with Germany known as the Treaty of Versailles-American opposition to
the League of Nations ultimately led the Senate to refuse to ratify the treaty. Isolationists in the
Senate believed that by joining the League the United States would take away Congresses
constitutional right to declare war and unnecessarily involve the country in future conflicts in
Europe and elsewhere. Though Wilson traveled across America to create public support for the
treaty’s ratification, the Senate eventually rejected it. The United States never joined the League of
Nations.
SSUSH15: The student will analyze (break down into pieces; study; dissect) the origins
(beginnings) and impact (influence; importance) of U. S. involvement in World War I.
d. Describe (paint a word picture; provide details; show me) passage of the Eighteenth
Amendment, establishing Prohibition, and the Nineteenth Amendment, establishing
woman suffrage.
Women’s War Efforts and Anti-Alcohol Sentiment Leads to two Constitutional AmendmentsSocial changes seen during the war led to two constitutional amendments. Ratification of the
Nineteenth Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, was helped by the country’s gratitude
for women’s economic contributions during the war. Women had filled jobs in factories after
men volunteered and were drafted into military service. This was the culmination of the woman’s
suffrage movement that had started at the Seneca Falls Conference in 1848 by Elizabeth Cady
Stanton and Lucretia Mott.
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19th Century Temperance Movement Leads to Prohibition After WWI-Another 19th Century
reform movement, the Temperance Movement, was aided by Americas’ WW I anti-German feelings
that led to a campaign to outlaw beer and other alcoholic beverages. This campaign well suited the
Progressive Era’s opposition to saloons. Congress passed the Eighteenth Amendment, which
prohibited “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors.” This ushered in
the era known as ‘prohibition.” One of the unintended consequences of Prohibition was the growth
of “gangsterism” as organized crime groups sought to bring in alcohol to satisfy the desire of many
American’s to have a beer.
Unintended Consequences of Prohibition Leads to
Widespread Violation of Prohibition Laws
SSUSH16: The student will identify (provide characteristics; make a connection) key
developments in the aftermath of WW I.
a. Explain (tell about; tell what and why; teach to someone else) how rising communism
and socialism in the United States led to the Red Scare and immigrant restriction.
Standard Overview-In the decade after World War I, disillusionment with Wilsonian idealism and a
reaction to Progressivism led to a more traditional and conservative view of America politically,
while a new generation of young people challenged traditional values and authority on social matters.
Communism and Socialism Create “Red Scare” and Fear in America-In the late 1800s and early
1900s, a new political ideology called communism grew out of socialism. Communism, an extreme
form of socialism, was based on a single-party government ruled by a dictator. Under communism,
there is no private ownership of property; all property is owned by the state/government. In 1919,
communist revolutionaries known as Bolsheviks overthrew the czar in Russia, established the Soviet
Union, and called for a worldwide revolution to destroy capitalism. This caused people in the
United States to fear communists. This fear of international communism was called the Red
Scare because red was the color of the communist flag. This fear led to the government’s pursuit of
suspected communists and socialists.
Wilson’s Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer Leads “Palmer Raids”-A. Mitchell Palmer led a
series of government raids targeted against anarchists (people who believe in no governmental
structure), socialist union organizers, socialist union leaders, and other radicals that Palmer felt were
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trying to undermine the government. These raids have been criticized for running roughshod over
individual civil liberties and violating the spirit of the Constitutional Bill of Rights as many
immigrants were deported without a hearing or incarcerated without due process. These ‘Palmer
Raids’ were the hallmark of the Red Scare.
Anti-Immigrant Sentiment (Nativism) Leads to Immigration Restrictions-The Red Scare’s fear
of communism was one factor that led to new restrictions on immigration. Other factors were
two ideas that grew strong in America in the 1920s. One of the ideas was that people born in
America were superior to immigrants. The other was that America should keep its traditional culture
intact. Anti-immigrant, anti-Jewish, and anti-Catholic sentiments contributed to the popularity
of a revived Ku Klux Klan in just in the South, and throughout the nation. Ultimately, this
reaction against immigrants resulted in the passage of legislation (The Emergency Quota Act of 1920
and the National Origins Act of 1924) that set limits on the number of immigrants who could come
from each country.
SSUSH16 The student will identify (provide characteristics; make a connection) key
developments in the aftermath of WW I.
a. Explain (tell about; tell what and why; teach to someone else) how rising communism
and socialism in the United States led to the Red Scare and immigrant restriction.
b. Identify (provide characteristics; make a connection) Henry Ford, mass production, and
the automobile.
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The Rise of the Automobile Significantly Impacts American Society and the EconomyAnother development of the 1920s was the emergence of the automobile as a true replacement
for the horse, not just a plaything for the wealthy. This was made possible by an industrial
process called mass production. Mass production was a technique developed by Henry Ford for
the manufacture of his Ford Model “T”. The Model “T” was produced in great volume, on an
assembly line, so the cost of each car would be low enough for common people to afford.
The automobile changed the face and culture of America.
Mass Production and the Automobile Changes the Face and Culture of America-Mass
production of the automobile made cars affordable and widely available during the 1920s.
The Automobile becomes the backbone of American Industry-The automobile became the
backbone of the American economy in the 1920s (and remained such until the 1970s). Many
industries grew up to support the auto industry. It profoundly altered American society and the
automobile literally changed the American landscape.
New Roads emerge in support of the automobiles-Its most visible effect was the construction
of paved roads suitable for driving in all weather. One such road was the legendary Route 66,
which provided a route for people trekking west from Chicago to California. Many people settled
in towns along the route. Automobiles hastened the age of the development of new suburbs as
the auto allowed workers to live miles from their jobs, resulting in urban sprawl as cities
spread in all directions.
Automobiles impact significant areas of American life-Architectural styles also changed as
new houses typically came equipped with a garage or carport and a driveway—and a smaller
lawn as a result. The automobile also launched the rapid construction of gasoline stations, repair
shops, public garages, motels, tourist camps, and shopping centers. The automobile liberated the
isolated rural family, who could now travel to the city for shopping and entertainment. It also
gave families the opportunity to vacation in new and faraway places. It allowed both women and
young people to become more independent through increased mobility. For the first time,
young people could easily get away from their parents and experience a level of independence
never before available. This provided the young people of the 1920s with different experiences
than their parents had known and created a generation gap between them.
SSUSH16: The student will identify (provide characteristics; make a connection) key
developments in the aftermath of WW I.
c. Describe (paint a word picture; provide details; show me) the impact of radio and the
movies.
Standard Overview-Radio and movies became increasingly popular in the post WWI period.
Radios were in most peoples’ homes and created a shared national experience as many people
would listen and talk about their favorite radio programs. Movies gave rise to a new
entertainment industry and a new class of people-“the movie star.”
The Radio Becomes A Powerful Medium Unifying the Nation. Americans added terms such
as “airwaves,” “radio audience,” and “tune in” to their everyday speech. By the end of the
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decade, the radio networks had created something new in the United States—the shared national
experience of hearing the news as it happened. The wider world had opened up to Americans,
who could hear the voice of their president or listen to the World Series live. It helped to create a
unifying effect in the nation. Although major magazines and newspapers reached big audiences,
radio was the most powerful communications medium to emerge in the 1920s.
The Movies Create a New Industry. During the 1920s, popular entertainment such as the
movies attracted millions of loyal fans and helped create the first media stars. Even before the
introduction of sound, movies became a national pastime, offering viewers a means of escape
through romance and comedy. Conservatives often disapproved of what they viewed as the
immoral influence of these forms of entertainment, but were unable to reduce their popularity.
By 1930, the new “talkies” had doubled movie attendance, with millions of Americans going to
the movies every week.
“Flappers” Represent the Challenge to Traditional Moral Values of the Twenties-Women also
enjoyed a new freedom and began smoking and kissing in public. The term “flapper” was used to
describe these new women. Flappers represented a challenge to the traditions and cultural values of
their parents.
Continuation of the Great Migration of African Americans Northward-The Great Migration
Northward significantly increased the African American populations in cities in the Northeast and the
Midwest.
SSUSH16: The student will identify (provide characteristics; make a connection) key
developments in the aftermath of WW I.
d. Describe (paint a word picture; provide details; show me) modern forms of cultural
expression; include Louis Armstrong and the origins of jazz, Langston Hughes and the
Harlem Renaissance, Irving Berlin, and Tin Pan Alley.
Impact of the Development of Jazz-African Americans and African American culture gained the
acceptance of mainstream America thanks in large part to the development of “jazz.”. but it was the
music emerging from the African American urban neighborhoods that was the most appreciated.
Jazz, a uniquely American music genre developed in New Orleans, combined themes and note
patterns developed by enslaved African Americans with the syncopated rhythms worked out by
musicians in New Orleans and elsewhere in the South. It was an original American art form and
became very popular in the 1920s. Trumpet player Louis Armstrong, sometimes called “Satchmo,”
became known while playing with the Creole Jazz Band and later became one of the biggest stars of
jazz music because of his sense of rhythm and his improvisational skills.
The Emergence of the Harlem Renaissance-African American writers and artists began to receive
the attention of major publishing houses and critics in the post WW I period. During the 1920s, a
wave of creativity washed over Harlem that celebrated African American culture, literay
achievements, and African American life through words and song. This is known as the Harlem
Renaissance. The movement’s best-known poet was Langston Hughes, who wrote about the lives
of working-class African Americans and sometimes set his words to the tempo of jazz or blues.
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Another Harlem Renaissance author was Zora Neale Hurston who wrote about the lives of poor
blacks.
The Harlem Renaissance was prosperity, change, and freedom. The Harlem Renaissance
represented a portion of the great social and cultural changes that swept America in the 1920s.
The period was characterized by economic prosperity, new ideas, changing values, and personal
freedom, as well as important developments in art, literature, and music. Most of the social
changes were lasting. The economic boom, however, was short-lived.
Tin Pan Alley-While the Harlem Renaissance was occurring, another musical movement, Tin Pan
Alley, was also on the rise in New York City. The name “Tin Pan Alley” is deceiving because it not
only refers to an actual place in Manhattan, but it also names the group of music writers and
publishers who worked there. One of the most famous song writers of Tin Pan Alley was Irving
Berlin, who wrote hundreds of songs during his career, including “God Bless America” and “White
Christmas.” Irving Berlin was referred to as the “King of Tin Pan Alley.”
The Significance of Tin Pan Alley is its Culturally Unifying Effect-The significance of Tin
Pan Alley was that the piano was America’s first culturally unifying force in that many of the
songs written were sung by families standing around the family piano. This unifying aspect of
American culture was undercut by the impact of the radio and the development of the
movie industry.
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SSUSH17: The student will analyze (break down into its parts) the causes and consequences of
the Great Depression.
a. Describe (paint a word picture; provide details; show me) the causes, including
overproduction, under consumption, and stock market speculation that led to the stock market
crash of 1929 and the Great Depression.
Standard Overview-Though the U.S. economy appeared to be prosperous during the 1920s, the
conditions that led to the Great Depression were actually created during that decade as not all sectors
of the economy or groups of Americans shared in the prosperity of the times. The economy was
plagued by overproduction, under consumption, and the uneven distribution of income. In the stock
market there was a lack of reasonable regulation that led to over speculation on stocks and the
creation of holding companies that sold stock even though they did not actually produce or
manufacture anything.
The Interactions of Business Overproduction and Consumer Under consumption-During the
1920s, the wealthy grew wealthier due in large measure to government fiscal policies that reduced
business regulations and allowed the wealthy to keep more of their money. These reduced regulations
and low corporate taxes increased the profits of corporations and made their stocks more valuable. At
the same time, the poor and working classes lost the ability to buy products because their wages
stayed the same while prices rose (inflation). This reduction in consumer consumption resulted in
business overproduction and eventually caused business profits to decline. The factors of
overproduction and under consumption were an important cause of the Great Depression.
Installment Credit Buying and Over speculation on the Stock Market Contribute to The Stock
Market Crash-New methods of buying products, including the installment plan and buying on
credit, became popular during the 1920s. These methods encouraged consumers to buy more than
they could afford and to go into debt. Worst of all, banks loaned people money to buy stock with
very little money down. The stocks themselves became the collateral for the loan. This was called
buying on margin. Rising stock prices and the ability of ordinary people to buy stock on credit
increased investment in the stock market and inflated the price of stocks above their actual
value.
Stock Market Has Problems that Cause the Market to Crash-Then, by October 1929, the U.S.
economy was beginning to show signs of slowing down. Stockholders feared the economy was
ending a period of prosperity and entering into a period of recession. This caused some investors to
panic and sell their stocks. As more people sold their stock, other people panicked and sold their
stock as well, driving down their prices and causing a stock market crash. The stock market crash,
known as Black Tuesday occurred on October 29, 1929.
Stock Market Crash Helps Cause the Great Depression-In turn, the stock market crash triggered
other economic weaknesses and plunged the United States into the Great Depression––a severe
economic recession in the 1930s that affected all the world’s industrialized nations and the countries
that exported raw materials to them. Industry, trade, construction, mining, logging, and farming
decreased sharply. Business profits, tax revenues, and personal incomes did, too.
Unemployment grew to 25%.
Overproduction And Under Consumption Impacts U. S. Agriculture-New machinery and
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improved farming techniques made American farmers very productive. By producing more food each
year, farmers thought they could earn more money. Instead, this overproduction helped drive down
the prices of their products and made it harder for them to make a profit. In response, farmers tried
producing even more food by taking out more loans to buy more land and farm equipment. As
a result, most farmers were very vulnerable to economic and environmental disasters when
banks started foreclosing on farms owned by farmers unable to repay their loans.
Summary of other Factors Helping to Cause the Great Depression-A common set of factors
contributing to the Great Depression were:
• tariffs and war debt policies that cut down the foreign market for American
goods;
• a crisis in the farm sector;
• the availability of easy credit; and,
• an unequal distribution of income.
SSUSH17: The student will analyze (break down into its parts) the causes and
consequences of the Great Depression.
b. Explain (tell me, show me, teach to someone else) factors (include over-farming and
climate) that led to the Dust Bowl and the resulting movement and migration west.
Standard Overview-As if the beginning of the Great Depression were not bad enough, poor
farming techniques, a severe multi-year drought created the Dust Bowl. The Dust Bowl had a
significant impact on the Great Plains area and especially Oklahoma, and caused the westward
migration of many farmers and their families that were evicted from their farms due to bank
foreclosures. These migrant were derisively called “Okies.”
Poor Farming Techniques and Drought Create the Dust Bowl-The drought that began in the
early 1930s wreaked havoc on the Great Plains. During the previous decade, farmers from Texas
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to North Dakota had used tractors to break up the grasslands and plant millions of acres of new
farmland. Plowing had removed the thick protective layer of prairie grasses. Farmers had
then exhausted the land through overproduction of crops, and the grasslands became
unsuitable for farming. When the drought and winds began in the early 1930s, little grass and
few trees were left to hold the soil down.
Massive winds destroy topsoil-Wind scattered the topsoil, exposing sand and grit
underneath. The dust traveled hundreds of miles. One windstorm in 1934 picked up millions of
tons of dust from the plains and carried it to East Coast cities
Great Plains are hit hard-The region that was the hardest hit, including parts of
Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado, came to be known as the Dust Bowl
and was located mostly in the Great Plains.
Dust Bowl Makes Situation for Farmers Worse-To make matters worse, the Great Plains states
were experiencing a severe drought. When a series of severe dust storms hit the prairies, they picked
up the dirt loosened by the drought and the poor farming practices that had eroded the soil. This
ecological disaster was called the Dust Bowl. Dry conditions and high winds made farming
impossible. Tenant farmers and sharecroppers were among the hardest hit as their landlords evicted
them and sold the land. Over 500,000 Americans were left homeless. Many farmers from
Oklahoma, Texas, and the surrounding Dust Bowl states migrated to California in search of
work. These migratory farmers were derisively referred to as “Okies.”
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SSUSH17: The student will analyze (break down into its parts) the causes and
consequences of the Great Depression.
c. Explain (tell me, show me, teach to someone else) the social and political impact
(influence) of widespread employment that resulted in developments such as Hoovervilles.
Standard Overview-As profits fell and it became clear consumers would need to reduce spending
workers began to lose their jobs. By 1932, the unemployment rate in the United States had reached
25%. Unemployed workers who had no savings could not pay their debts, and many lost their homes.
Homeless and unemployed people settled in camps of shacks and tents in rundown areas.
The Depression brought hardship, homelessness, and hunger to millions-In cities across the
country, people lost their jobs, were evicted from their homes and ended up in the streets. Some
slept in Parks or sewer pipes, wrapping themselves in newspapers to fend off the cold. Others
built makeshift shacks out of scrap materials.
Before long, numerous shantytowns—little towns consisting of shacks—sprang up-Soup
kitchens offering free or low-cost food and bread lines, or lines of people waiting to receive
food provided by charitable organizations or public agencies, became a common sight.
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Farms Foreclosed upon-Between 1929 and 1932, about 400,000 farms were lost through
foreclosure—the process by which a mortgage holder takes back property if an occupant has not
made payments. Many farmers turned to tenant farming and barely scraped out a living.
Transients take to the Road-During the Great Depression, as many as 300,000 transients—or
“hoboes” as they were called—wandered the country, hitching rides on railroad boxcars and
sleeping under bridges.
Children Suffer-Children also suffered during the 1930s. Poor diets and a lack of money for
health care led to serious health problems. Milk consumption declined across the country, and
clinics and hospitals reported a dramatic rise in malnutrition and diet-related diseases, such as
rickets.
Social and Psychological Impact-The hardships of the Great Depression had a tremendous
social and psychological impact. Some people were so demoralized by hard times that they lost
their will to survive. Between 1928 and 1932, the suicide rate rose more than 30 percent. Three
times as many people were admitted to state mental hospitals as in normal times.
Hoover Blamed for the Economic and Social Suffering-By 1930, people were calling the
shantytowns in American cities “Hoovervilles”—a direct slap at the president’s policies.
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a. Homeless people called the newspapers they wrapped themselves in “Hoover
blankets.”
b. Empty pockets turned inside out were “Hoover flags.”
Hoover Blamed because he Held Firm to the Principle of No Direct Government Relief or
Welfare to the Unemployed and Homeless-Many Americans who had hailed Hoover as a great
humanitarian a few years earlier now saw him as a cold and heartless leader. Despite public
criticism, Hoover continued to hold firm to his principles. He refused to support direct relief or
other forms of federal welfare. Some Americans were going hungry, and many blamed Hoover
for their plight.
President Hoover’s Response to the Great Depression-Hoover did try and help the economic
mess that began during his administration. He gave much of his money to charity and
encouraged Americans to do the same. He broke with Congressional Republicans and did away
with the taxes that had been placed on citizens during the Coolidge administration. Hoover
thought that would allow for more income being spent to help the economy rebound.
Hoover Supports Limited Public Works Programs and Loaning Money to BusinessesCongress under Hoover spent $500 million a year on public works and government programs to
build or improve government properties. The most famous was the Hoover (Boulder) Dam.
Congress also established the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (continued by FDR) that
created an agency to help banks, railroads, and other key businesses to stay in business thus
helping the economy. However, its effectiveness was limited by its timidity in loaning money to
needed businesses and industries.
President Hoover Orders the Dispersing of The Bonus Army. Many WW I veterans had been
promised a monetary payment or “bonus” by the federal government payable in the 1940s. Many
of these veterans wanted this “bonus” paid to them immediately because of the hard economic
times. As a result thousands of unemployed veterans marched on Washington D.C. and set up a
small community of tents and lean-tos (a Hooverville) in Anacostia Flats, an area of Washington
D.C. Fearing the veterans might become violent, Hoover ordered the veterans dispersed. On July
28, President Herbert Hoover ordered the army, under the command of Douglas MacArthur, to
evict them forcibly. MacArthur had their camps set on fire, and the army drove the veterans from
the city. Women and children who had accompanied their veteran husbands and fathers were
gassed. This incident furthered the belief that President Hoover did not care about the average
citizens plight and economic hardship.
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Hoover’s Use of the Army to Break Up the Bonus Army March Alienated Many Americans
SSUSH18 The student will describe (tell me about, list details) Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal
as a response to the depression and compare the ways governmental programs aided those in
need.
a. Describe (paint a word picture; provide details; show me) the creation of the Tennessee
Valley Authority as a works program and as an effort to control the environment.
Standard Overview-In the first presidential election during the Great Depression, American voters
rejected Herbert Hoover and voted in Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt used the name “New Deal”
for his series of programs to end the Depression. He promised these programs would help different
segments of the economy recover by addressing specific needs and weaknesses. The New Deal had
three major components: relief for the unemployed, reform of business institutions and financial
institutions, and recovery of the business sector to create a growing, job producing economy.
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Relief: Putting People to Work-Tennessee Valley Authority Transforms a Region-The
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federal agency that was established in 1933 to construct
dams and power plants along the Tennessee River and its tributaries. The New Deal government
planners targeted the Tennessee Valley itself because it was one of the most impoverished regions in
the nation as it ran through seven states.
TVA Sought to Remake the one of the Largest River Basin in the Country-The Tennessee River
basin is one of the largest river basins in the United States, and people who live in this area have a
number of common concerns. The TVA has helped the region in various ways: through flood and
navigation control, the conservation of natural resources, and the generation of electric power, as
well as through agricultural and industrial development.
The TVA Covers a Seven State Area (see map below)-The Tennessee Valley covers parts of seven
states. Thus, the TVA became an enormous undertaking, eventually comprising dozens of major
dams, each with associated power plants, recreational facilities, and navigation aids.
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TVA Provides Unemployment Relief Agricultural Education, and Erosion Control EducationAs a New Deal relief program it provided the region with thousands of jobs and control of rivers,
erosion control, and better farming techniques. It led, also, to the production of electricity for an
entire three to four state area. The TVA was criticized for being socialistic in its approach and
that it put the government in direct competition with private businesses regarding the
production and sale of electricity. It was also severely criticized because the government sought
to make over an entire.
Other Work Relief Programs- Civilian Conservation Corps, employed three million young
men, between the ages of 18 to 25, found work in road building, forestry labor and flood control;
Public Works Administration to provide work relief on public works projects, and the Works
Progress Administration that provided work to many elements of society including artists,
authors, songwriters, and photographers.
SSUSH18 The student will describe (tell me about, list details) Franklin Roosevelt’s New
Deal as a response to the depression and compare the ways governmental programs aided
those in need.
b. Explain (tell me, show me, teach to someone else) the Wagner Act and the rise of
industrial unionism.
Standard Overview-In 1935 Roosevelt pushed a Second 100 Days legislative agenda which he
hoped would structurally reform the American labor movement by legislating Unions’ right to
organize and strike and redressing the imbalances that favored business and industrial leaders.
The Second New Deal refers to the programs President Roosevelt instituted after his original
New Deal failed to completely fix the American economy.
Second New Deal Reform Legislative Acts
Reform Legislation Assisting Labor Unions or the Magna Carta of Labor-The National Labor
Relations Act, better known as the Wagner Act of 1935, was one of the first reforms of Roosevelt’s
Second New Deal. It has also been called the Magna Carta of labor because this law established
collective bargaining rights for workers and prohibited such unfair labor practices as intimidating
workers, attempting to keep workers from organizing unions, and firing union members. The
law also set up a government agency where workers could testify about unfair labor practices and
hold elections to decide whether or not to unionize. Thus, the federal government legislatively
protected the right of workers to join unions and engage in collective bargaining with
employers.
Wagner Act Leads to Massive Union Growth-After passage of the Wagner Act, industrial workers
began to unionize. The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was hesitant to organize industrial
unionism, because it was committed to craft-based workers such as carpenters and railroad
engineers. As a consequence, the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) was created to
represent industrial workers who felt they were not being properly represented by the AFL. The AFL
and CIO clashed on and off before merging in 1955 to become the AFL-CIO that exists today.
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Significance of the Wagner Act of 1935-The Wagner Act prohibited unfair labor practices such as
threatening workers, firing union members, and interfering with union organizing. The act set up the
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to hear testimony about unfair practices and to hold
elections to find out if workers wanted union representation. As a result of the Wagner Act and other
pro-labor legislation passed during the New Deal, union members enjoyed better working conditions
and increased bargaining power. Between 1933 and 1941, union membership grew from less than 3
million to more than 10 million.
The following chart displays both unfair employer practices as well as unfair Union
practices as detailed in the Wagner Act of 1935:
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SSUSH18 The student will describe (tell me about, list details) Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal
as a response to the depression and compare the ways governmental programs aided those in
need.
c. Explain (tell me, show me, teach to someone else) the passage of the Social Security Act as a
part of the second New Deal.
Standard Overview-Roosevelt also sought to fundamentally reform the economy by passing the
Social Security Act of 1935 instituting an old age pension system, aid for certain children, and by
instituting a federal unemployment system..
Reform of the Economy by Passage of the Social Security Act-One of the most important actions
of the Second New Deal was the Social Security Act, which was passed in 1935. This law consisted
of three components:
1. Old-age insurance for retirees 65 or older and their spouses. The insurance was a
supplemental retirement plan. Half of the funds came from the worker and half from the
employer. Although some groups were excluded from the system, it helped to make retirement
comfortable for millions of people.
2. Unemployment compensation system. The unemployment system was funded by a federal
tax on employers. It was administered at the state level. The initial payments ranged from $15
to $18 per week. It is now 6.9% of one’s salary with a matching payment by the employer).
3. Aid to families with dependent children and the disabled. The aid was paid for by federal
funds made available to the states.
Social Security System Has Current Workers Paying Benefits for the Currently RetiredAlthough the Social Security Act was not a total pension system or a complete welfare system, it did
provide substantial benefits to millions of Americans. A criticism of the Social Security System is
that it is a giant Ponzi Scheme were current workers pay taxes to support former workers. This
is okay, so long as there are significantly more worker than retires. But when the number of workers
and retirees near one another, then the system is doomed to collapse or require revenues from another
source.
Social Security System under Financial Strain because of an Aging Population-The U.S.
Treasury has needed to borrow money to pay Social Security benefits in 15 out of the last 25
months on record because the Social Security system was in deficit in those months, with the
cost of monthly benefit payments exceeding the Social Security tax revenues flowing into the
Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance trust funds, according to data published by the
Social Security Administration.
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SSUSH18 The student will describe (tell me about, list details) Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal
as a response to the depression and compare the ways governmental programs aided those in
need.
d. Identify (provide characteristics; make a connection) Eleanor Roosevelt of as a symbol
social progress and women’s activism.
Standard Overview- President Roosevelt’s wife, Eleanor, was very influential in her own right. She
was interested in humanitarian causes and social progress, and she was very vocal about them during
her husband’s time in the White House. She traveled all over the United States to observe social
conditions so she could keep the president informed as to the state of the nation. As a supporter of
women’s activism, she was also instrumental in convincing Roosevelt to appoint more women to
government positions. She also worked to influence her husband on matters affecting the African
American community and encouraged her husband to create the “Black Cabinet” to advise the
President on minority concerns.
Eleanor Roosevelt 1884–1962-A niece of Theodore Roosevelt and a distant cousin of her husband,
Franklin, Eleanor Roosevelt lost her parents at an early age, and she was raised by a strict
grandmother. As first lady, she often urged the president to take stands on controversial issues. A
popular public speaker, Ms. Roosevelt was particularly interested in child welfare, housing reform,
and equal rights for women and minorities. President Roosevelt encouraged by his wife Eleanor and
seeking the support of women voters, also appointed two female diplomats and a female federal
judge.
Eleanor Roosevelt Seeks to help African-Americans-Ms. Roosevelt played a key role in opening
doors for African Americans in government. She was also instrumental in bringing about one of the
most dramatic cultural events of the period: a performance by the African-American singer Marian
Anderson in 1939. When the Daughters of the American Revolution chose not to allow Anderson to
perform in their concert hall in Washington, D.C., because of her race, Eleanor Roosevelt resigned
from the organization. She then arranged for Anderson to perform at the Lincoln Memorial on Easter
Sunday. She scandalized the South by allowing one of the Tuskegee airman to fly her over east
Alabama on a visit to their training site.
Representative to the UN-Ms. Roosevelt was the American representative to the UN and worked to
bring about the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
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SSUSH18 The student will describe (tell me about, list details) Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal
as a response to the depression and compare the ways governmental programs aided those in
need.
e. Identify (provide characteristics; make a connection) the political challenges to Roosevelt’s
domestic and international leadership; include the role of Huey Long, the court packing plan
and the Neutrality Acts.
Standard Overview-Many political challengers to Roosevelt’s leadership did not feel he had gone
far enough to change the foundations of the American economic system. He was challenged from
within his own party by those who would push the country further to the left, as well as from
opponents from the conservative right. The biggest threat came form Senator Huey Long of
Louisiana. When Roosevelt New Deal legislation was stymied by the Supreme Court ruling the key
parts of his reform legislation unconstitutional he sought to expand the Court from 9 to 15 justices.
This was known as his “court packing scheme.” However, many felt he was trying to grab to much
power and the Congress and the people did not support his court packing scheme. Roosevelt also
sought to deal with growing militarism in Europe and the far east but had to tread very carefully as
Congress and the American people were very isolationistic and wanted no involvement in European
or other international problems.
Political Challenges to Roosevelt Domestic Leadership
Roosevelt’s Political Challenges from the Left and the Right Political Spectrum-During his 12year presidency, Roosevelt faced many challenges to his leadership and had many critics. Opponents
of the New Deal came from all parts of the political spectrum. Some conservatives thought he had
made the federal government too large and too powerful and that it did not respect the rights of
individuals and property, (the American Liberty League; Father Charles Coughlin, Dr. Francis
Townsend) while some far left liberals thought he had not gone far enough to socialize the economy
and eliminate inequality in America.
Huey Long A Potential Presidential Candidate and Rival for Leadership-Perhaps Roosevelt’s
biggest critic was Senator Huey Long of Louisiana also known as the “Kingfish”. Long originally
supported the New Deal, but he changed his mind and set his sights on replacing Roosevelt as
president. Long proposed for every American a home, food, clothes, and an education, among other
things. He had clubs throughout America called “Every Man A King.” Long was assassinated by a
disgruntled constituent in Louisiana in 1935.
Roosevelt Goes to Far with His Court Packing Plan
Roosevelt Loses Congressional Support When He Tries To Pack The Supreme Court To Make
It More Responsive To His New Deal Programs-The Judiciary Reorganization Bill of 1937,
usually called the court-packing bill, proposed to give presidents the power to appoint an extra
Supreme Court justice for every sitting justice over the age of 70 ½. Roosevelt planned to use this
authority to add more of his supporters to the Supreme Court to uphold his New Deal programs,
many of which the Supreme Court had ruled unconstitutional, however, law passed by Congress
weakened the power he desired. Congress balked at “packing the court” and New Deal critics
accused Roosevelt of trying to assume dictatorial power and of trying to upset the
constitutional checks and balances. He had neither public nor congressional support for his
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“court packing” plan.
Foreign Policy Challenges in an Isolationist Nation
Challenges to President Roosevelt’s Foreign Policy-In Europe, World War II started long before
America entered it and the clouds of war were on the horizon before the war actually started in
Europe in September 1939. To prevent Roosevelt from involving America in what some saw as a
potential European war, Congress passed a series of Neutrality Acts in 1935, 1936, and 1937 to
make it illegal to sell arms, or make loans to nations at war. When Japan launched a new attack on
China in July 1937, Roosevelt found a way around the Neutrality Acts. Because Japan had not
formally declared war against China, the president claimed there was no need to enforce the
Neutrality Acts. The United States continued sending arms and supplies to China.
“Cash and Carry” Act of 1939 Recognizes the Nazi Threat to Europe-The fourth of these acts
called “cash and carry,” was passed in 1939 and was recognition of the Nazi threat to Western
Europe’s democracies. This act permitted the sale of arms to nations at war on a “cash and carry”
basis. This meant that buyers would have to pay cash and send their own ships to American ports to
pick up the supplies, thereby keeping American ships from being sunk by the Germans. Roosevelt
wanted to aid the European democracies but was hindered by a more isolationist Congress.
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SSUSH19 The student will identify (provide characteristics; make a connection) the origins,
major developments, and the domestic impact of World War II, especially the growth of the
federal government.
a. Explain (tell about; tell what and why; teach to someone else) A. Philip Randolph’s
proposed march on Washington, D. C., and President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s response.
Standard Overview-World War II was the culminating event in the United States’ rise to the level
of a superpower. Though initially reluctant to become involved in the fighting, once attacked, the
United States responded with military and economic contributions that led to an Allied victory.
Responding to the country’s need to fight the war, the federal government grew larger.
African American’s Protest Discrimination in the War Effort-In 1941 A. Philip Randolph, the
founder of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, proposed a march on Washington, D. C., to
protest discrimination in the military and in industry. He called on African Americans from all
over the United States to come to Washington and join him. President Roosevelt was afraid the
march might cause unrest among whites, and asked Randolph to the White House and requested he
call off the march. When Randolph refused, Roosevelt issued an executive order that called on
employers and labor unions to cease discrimination in hiring practices in industries related to
defense. In order to enforce this order, FDR created the Fair Employment Practices
Commission. This was the first civil rights agency established by federal government since the
Reconstruction era. As a result of Roosevelt’s actions, the march was canceled.
SSUSH19 The student will identify (provide characteristics, make a connection) the origins,
major developments, and the domestic impact of World War II, especially the growth of the
federal government.
b. Explain (tell me, show me, teach to somebody else) the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and
the internment (imprisonment) of Japanese- Americans, German-Americans, and ItalianAmericans.
Standard Overview-In July 1937, Hideki Tojo, chief of staff of Japan’s Kwantung Army, launched
an invasion into China. The U.S. foreign policy was to stop Japanese aggression in China and to
force Japan to leave China. As French, Dutch, and British colonies lay unprotected in Asia, Japanese
leaders leaped at the opportunity to unite East Asia under Japanese control by seizing these colonial
lands. By 1941, the British were too busy fighting Hitler to block Japanese expansion. Only the U.S.
and its Pacific islands remained in Japan’s way. The Japanese began their southward push in July
1941 by taking over French military bases in Indochina (now Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos). The
United States protested this new act of aggression by cutting off trade with Japan. The
embargoed goods included one Japan could not live without—oil to fuel its war machine.
Japanese military leaders warned that without oil, Japan could be defeated without its enemies ever
striking a blow. The leaders declared that Japan must either persuade the United States to end its oil
embargo or seize the oil fields in the Dutch East Indies. On November 5, 1941, Tojo ordered the
Japanese navy to secretly prepare for a secret attack on the United States Naval fleet at Pearl Harbor
while the two sides continued peace talks. Once the attack came, Japanese American citizens were
suspect and were forcibly removed to internment camps without proper compensation for their lands.
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Japan Attacks Naval Fleet at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 Bht Fails to Destroy the
American Aircraft Carriers
Pearl Harbor, “The Day of Infamy” and Its Aftermath-On the morning of December 7, 1941, the
navy of the Empire of Japan launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii. Over 2,400 Americans were killed and 1,178 more were wounded, 19 ships were damaged,
and over 300 aircraft were destroyed. The Japanese attack took the United States officially into
World War II.
Executive Order 9066 Requires internship of Japanese Americans as well as German and
Italians Suspected of Espionage
Japanese Citizens Interred as Security Risks to the Nation-One significant effect of America’s
entry into the war was alarm about the loyalty of Japanese Americans: 120,000 Japanese Americans
lived in the United States, most of them on the West Coast. Fears of spies and sabotage led to
prejudice and sometimes violence against Japanese Americans. In the name of national security,
Roosevelt, by Executive Order 9066, ordered all people of Japanese ancestry be moved from
California and parts of Washington, Oregon, and Arizona to rural prison camps in the Great Plains
and elsewhere. Although most of the people imprisoned in these internment camps were Japanese
Americans, there were also small numbers of German Americans and Italian Americans imprisoned
under the same law, as well as hundreds of Native Americans from Alaska.
No Charges of Sabotage Against Japanese American-No specific charges were ever filed against
Japanese Americans, and no evidence of subversion was ever found. Faced with expulsion, terrified
families were forced to sell their homes, businesses, and all their belongings for less than their true
value.
Japanese Americans Forced to Sell Property and Businesses-Japanese Americans fought for
justice, both in the courts and in Congress. The initial results were discouraging. In 1944, the
Supreme Court decided Korematsu v. United States holding that the government’s policy of
evacuating Japanese Americans to internment camps was justified on the basis of “military
necessity.”
SSUSH19 The student will identify (provide characteristics, make a connection) the origins,
major developments, and the domestic impact of World War II, especially the growth of
the federal government.
c. Explain (tell me, show me, teach to somebody else) major events; include the lend-lease
program, the Battle of Midway, D-Day, and the fall of Berlin.
Standard Overview-Prior to America’s entry into WW II Congress passed the lend lease act
giving the President the authority to designate countries as vital to the security of the United
States and to allow the U S to sell weapons, loan money for their purchase and too otherwise
support those countries. England and Russia were designated as vital to U S security and the U S
then sold them all kinds of weapons to fight Hitler and Nazism. In this sense the U S became
“the arsenal of democracy.” After America’s entry into the war the US became an ally with
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England and Russia and they determined to first defeat the Nazis and then the US would seek to
defeat Japan. Pending Nazi Germany’s defeat in Europe the U S pursued an “island hopping”
strategy against Japan where it would cut off the supplies and bypass certain Japanese held
islands. Within six months of Pearl Harbor America delivered a decisive defeat to the Japanese
Navy at the Battle of Midway where the two fleets engaged in battle by their air forces only.
Major Events/ of World War II-Many battles were fought between the Allied nations and the Axis
powers from 1939 to 1945. World War II was truly a world war, with combat taking place on nearly
every continent. This changed the way the whole world looked at war. The two major theaters of the
war were Europe and the Pacific Ocean. Review the following details of four major World War II
events.
~ Lend-Lease Makes the US the “Arsenal of Democracy”––March, 11, 1941––Nine months
before Pearl Harbor, Congress passed the Lend-Lease Act and amended the Neutrality Acts so
the United States could lend military equipment and supplies to any nation the president said
was vital to the defense of the United States. Roosevelt approved $1 billion in Lend-Lease aid
to Great Britain in October 1941. When the United States entered World War II, $50 billion
worth of equipment and supplies had already been sent to Britain, France, the Soviet Union,
and China.
~ Battle of Midway––June 4–7, 1942––Six months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor,
the U.S. Navy won a major sea battle against the Japanese Navy that was the turning point in
World War II in the Pacific. The Japanese tried to trap and sink America’s remaining aircraft
carriers and then take the Midway Atoll, an American refueling station for ships and airplanes,
but the United States destroyed four Japanese aircraft carriers while losing only one American
carrier. This kept the Japanese from capturing Midway. This victory is regarded as the most
important naval engagement of the Pacific campaign of the war and, at the time, was a huge
morale boost for America. The Japanese Navy never recovered from this defeat, enabling the
United States to gain control of other strategic Pacific islands. This strategy was called “island
hoping.” From those islands, the United States was able to overcome the geographical
difficulty of resupplying its forces with food, medicine, weapons, and other critical
supplies needed to push westward toward the Japanese mainland.
~ D Day a/k/a Operation Overlord a/k/a the Normandy Invasion––June 6, 1944––Opens a
Second Front Against the Nazis-D Day was the code name for the first day of Operation
Overlord, the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France. It remains the largest seaborne
invasion in history, with over 156,000 men crossing the English Channel in 6,939 vessels.
The German troops occupying France were caught almost completely by surprise and, although
the Allies met heavy resistance in small areas, the invasion went almost exactly according to
plan. As a result of the operation’s success, American and British forces were able to maintain
a permanent beachhead in mainland Europe to resupply their forces and push east to Germany.
The geographical advantage gained by the invasion marked the beginning of victory for
the Allies in Europe.
~ The Fall of Berlin––April–May 1945––The fall of Berlin was one of the final battles of the
European theater of war during World War II. Two Soviet army groups attacked Berlin from
the east and south, while a third attacked German forces north of Berlin. The Soviets lost
81,116 men taking the city, while the Germans lost 458,080 trying to defend it. It was one of
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the bloodiest battles in history. Adolf Hitler was in Berlin during the battle and, before it
ended, he and many of his followers committed suicide. The city’s defenders surrendered on
May 2, but fighting continued outside the city until the war ended on May 8. Much of the
continued fighting was due to the Germans trying to move westward so they could surrender to
the Americans or British instead of to the Soviets.
SSUSH19 The student will identify (provide characteristics, make a connection) the origins,
major developments, and the domestic impact of World War II, especially the growth of the
federal government.
d. Describe (paint a word picture; provide details; show me) war mobilization (organizing,
readiness), as indicated by rationing, war time conversion, and the role of women in war
industries.
Standard Overview-Similarly as n WW I, Congress gave the executive branch broad powers to
mobilize the nation for war. The entire economy was geared to the war effort and the nations
population rationed key resources, products, held bond drives and did other things to support the war.
Women entered the work force in significant numbers and thereby freeing up more men for military
duty and as well provided needed services in the military itself. “Rosie the Riveter” personified
women in war industries.
Civilian Industries Convert to War Production-Across America, factories were quickly converted
to war production. A maker of mechanical pencils turned out bomb parts. A bedspread manufacturer
made mosquito netting. A soft-drink company converted from filling bottles with liquid to filling
shells with explosives.
a. Meanwhile, shipyards and defense plants expanded with dizzying speed. By the end of
1942, industrialist Henry J. Kaiser had built seven massive new shipyards that turned out Liberty
ships (cargo carriers), tankers, troop transports, and “baby” aircraft carriers at an astonishing rate.
b. Kaiser used prefabricated, or factory-made, parts that could be quickly assembled at
his shipyards. Equally important were his workers, who worked at record speeds.
War Production Board Manages Resources-The War Production Board (WPB) assumed the
responsibility of managing national resources to insure war production. The WPB decided which
companies would convert from peacetime to wartime production and allocated raw materials to key
industries. The WPB also organized nationwide drives to collect scrap iron, tin cans, paper, rags, and
cooking fat for recycling into war goods. Across America, children scoured attics, cellars, garages,
vacant lots, and back alleys, looking for useful junk. During one five-month-long paper drive in
Chicago, schoolchildren collected 36 million pounds of old paper—about 65 pounds per child.
War Mobilization Efforts-After Pearl Harbor, 5 million men volunteered for military service, but
more were needed to fight the war. The Selective Service System expanded the draft, and 10 million
more men joined the ranks of the American armed forces. So great was the need of the military, a
Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps was formed to fill noncombat positions otherwise filled by men,
freeing up the men for frontline duty. All industries dedicated to war effort because the American
fighting man needed tanks, planes, ships, guns, bullets, and boots. To equip the troops, the entire
American industry was dedicated to supplying the military.
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War Rationing of Commodities-As time went on, the war industry needed more raw materials. One
way Americans helped the war effort was through wartime conservation. Workers would carpool to
work or ride bicycles to save gasoline and rubber. People participated in nationwide drives to collect
scrap iron, tin cans, newspaper, rags, and even cooking grease to recycle and use in war production.
Another way Americans conserved on the home front was through the mandatory government
rationing system. Under this system, each household received a “c book” with coupons that were
used to buy scarce items such as meat, sugar, and coffee. Gas rationing was also used to help save
gasoline for military use.
Women Play Key Role In War Industries-By 1944, despite the draft, nearly 18 million workers
were laboring in war industries, three times as many as in 1941. More than 6 million of these new
workers were women. At first, war industries feared that most women lacked the necessary stamina
for factory work and were reluctant to hire them. But once women proved they could operate welding
torches or riveting guns as well as men, employers could not hire enough of them—especially since
since women earned only about 60 percent as much as men doing the same jobs.
.
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SSUSH19 The student will identify (provide characteristics, make a connection) the origins,
major developments, and the domestic impact of World War II, especially the growth of
the federal government.
e. Describe (paint a word picture; provide details; show me) the Manhattan Project at Los
Alamos and the scientific, economic, and military implications (connections) of developing
the atomic bomb.
Standard Overview-Based on a letter from Albert Einstein to President Roosevelty detailing the
possible military use of splitting the atom, America began a secret project code named the
Manhattan Project to develop an atomic weapon before the Nazi could develop one. It was
developed, used to end the war against Japan, and has led to significant peacetime uses in a wide
variety of industries.
Creating the Office of Scientific Research and Development. In 1941, Roosevelt created the
Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD) to bring scientists into the war effort.
The most significant achievement of the OSRD was the secret development of a new weapon,
the atomic bomb.
The Manhattan Project Develops the Atom Bomb-Allied leaders planning the war against
Japan knew that once they defeated the Japanese navy in the Pacific Ocean they would still have
to invade Japan itself to end the war. They knew Japan still had a huge army that would defend
every inch of the homeland, and both sides could possibly lose millions of people in the process.
President Truman decided there was only one way to avoid an invasion of Japan and still defeat
them. He would use a brand-new weapon that no one had ever seen before: the atomic bomb.
The American government had developed two atomic bombs in a secret laboratory in Los
Alamos, New Mexico. The bombs were dropped on Japan in early August 1945. On September
2, 1945, the Japanese surrendered, and World War II was finally over. The project’s code name
was “The Manhattan Project.” The two nuclear bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki causing the Japanese to surrender, thereby ending the war.
Military, Scientific, and Economic Aspects of Nuclear Power-The implications of developing
and using atomic bombs in World War II were enormous. From a military standpoint, it was
clear that not only did the United States have a powerful weapon that no other country had, but
the American government was not afraid to use it. The Soviet Union quickly began developing
an atomic bomb of its own, an act that helped begin the Cold War. Also, nuclear power
would soon be used to power aircraft carriers and submarines. Scientifically and economically,
the atomic bomb led to nuclear power for civilian use, such as generating electricity for
homes and businesses. Nuclear power is also used in technologies such as positron emission
tomography (PET) scans, which are used by physicians to study the workings of the human
body, including brain functions.
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SSUSH19 The student will identify (provide characteristics, make a connection) the origins,
major developments, and the domestic impact of World War II, especially the growth of
the federal government.
f. Compare (show similarities or differences) the geographic locations of the European
Theater and the Pacific Theater and the difficulties the U.S. faced in delivering weapons,
food, and medical supplies to troops.
Standard Overview-During WW II America pursued a Europe first strategy. America
recognized that it would strain resources to fight on two significant fronts at the same time. Thus,
the strategy was to save the western democracies first by defeating Nazi Germany first and then
defeating the Japanese.
The following map demonstrates the problems of resupply in the Pacific theatre of war.
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The following map demonstrates the issue of resupply to Europe and why a Europe first
strategy was determined to be the best strategy for all the allies.
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SSUSH20 The student will analyze (break into pieces; study; dissect) the domestic and
international impact of the Cold War on the United States.
a. Describe (tell me about, list details of) the creation of the Marshall Plan, U.S. commitment to
Europe, the Truman Doctrine, and the origins and implications of the containment policy.
Standard Overview- Following World War II, the United States and the other Allies divided
Germany into four occupation zones. When the Soviet Union refused to join its zone with the French,
British, and American zones and allow the German people to assume control of their government, the
Cold War began. Over four decades, competition between the United States and the USSR involved
many other countries aligned with one of the two superpowers. Much of American Foreign policy
during this time was referred to as “containment “ of the spread of communism. In many respects it
was a battle of two differing political and economic theories: communism vs. capitalism. The
Containment Doctrine was the brainchild of George F. Kennan, a specialist on Soviet affairs in the U.
S. state department.
Cold War Overview- The Cold War involved the building of physical and figurative walls. The
Soviets built physical walls to keep citizens of communist nations in and democratic influences out.
The Berlin Wall is a good example of the walls the Soviets built. The United States built figurative
“walls” surrounding communist nations to keep their influence from spreading. An example of a
figurative wall built by the United States is the 38th parallel, which divides North Korea from South
Korea. The conflicts that arose between communist and democratic nations were usually the result of
attempts to break through these walls.
The Marshall Plan Creates Trading Partners and Political Allies for the U. S.
Stopping Communism, Creating Allies and Trading Partners by Rebuilding Western Europe
with the Marshall Plan-The European Recovery Program, better known as the Marshall Plan for
Secretary of State George Marshall, was America’s main program for rebuilding Western
Europe and opposing communism after World War II. The plan was put into action in July 1947
and operated for four years. During that time, the United States spent $13 billion on economic and
technical assistance for the war-torn democratic European countries that had nearly been destroyed
during World War II. The Marshall Plan offered the same aid to the Soviet Union and its allies if
they would make political reforms and accept certain outside controls; however, the Soviets rejected
this proposal. The Marshall Plan created economic trading partners for America, and allies for
the U. S. politically.
The U. S. Commits to Defend Democratic Europe from Communism by the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization-A Mutual Defense Pact
U. S. Commitment to Defend Democratic Europe From Communism through the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-To halt the spread of communism to Western Europe from
the Soviet-controlled nations of Eastern Europe, the United States formed the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO), a defensive alliance system, with many of the noncommunist nations in
Europe, including former wartime allies Britain and France. In response, the Soviet Union created
the Warsaw Pact, an alliance of the communist nations it controlled in Eastern Europe.
Convinced the Soviets were attempting to establish a sphere of influence throughout the world, the
United States viewed these actions as a direct threat to American security. This determination to stop
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the spread of communism is known as the policy of containment and was the basis for many U.S.
foreign policy decisions during the Cold War.
The Truman Doctrine Provides Military and Economic Aid to Turkey and Greece against
Communist Insurgents-In 1947, President Harry S. Truman proclaimed the Truman Doctrine. It
stated the United States would supply any nation with economic and military aid to prevent its
falling under the Soviet sphere of influence. Truman called upon the United States to “support free
peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures.”
Although Truman never referred directly to the USSR, anyone who heard the declaration, including
the Soviet leaders, knew the Soviets were the “outside pressures” Truman talked about.
SSUSH20 The student will analyze (break into pieces; study; dissect) the domestic and
international impact of the Cold War on the United States.
b. Explain (tell me, show me, teach to someone else) the impact (influence) of the new
communist regime in China and the outbreak of the Korean War and how these events
contributed to the rise of Senator Joseph McCarthy.
Standard Overview- For two decades, Chinese Communists had struggled against the nationalist
government of Chiang Kai-shek. The United States supported Chiang. After spending over $3billion
on supporting Chiang, the Communists defeated his forces in 1949, and the Nationalists fled to the
island of Formosa a/k/a Taiwan. Then, in 1950, the North Koreans, supported by the Soviet Union,
and later China, attacked South Korea. Many politicians were shocked when the Chinese
Communists prevailed and blamed the loss of China on left wing/communists who had infiltrated the
U. S. government. One such politician was Senator Joseph McCarthy from Wisconsin, who made
many accusations of communists having infiltrated into the State department and later the Army.
McCarthy’s allegations were not based on any facts and many people were incorrectly and
maliciously branded as communists. These events gave rise to the phrase “McCarthyism” and
signified a type of emotional witch-hunt devoid or fact or substance.
Communists Under Mao Zedong Defeat the Nationalists under Chiang-Between 1945 and 1949,
the American government sent the Nationalists approximately $3 billion in aid. The Communists, led
by Mao Zedong, gained strength throughout the country. In the areas they controlled, Communists
worked to win peasant support. They encouraged peasants to learn to read, and they helped to
improve food production. As a result, more and more recruits flocked to the Communists’ Red Army.
By 1945, much of northern China was under communist control. From 1944 to 1947, the United
States played peacemaker between the two groups while still supporting the Nationalists. However,
U.S. officials repeatedly failed to negotiate peace. Aid wasn’t enough to save the Nationalists, whose
weak military leadership and corrupt, abusive practices drove the peasants to the Communist side.
Nationalist Chinese Flee to Taiwan-In May 1949, Chiang and the remnants of his demoralized
government fled to the island of Taiwan, which Westerners called Formosa. After more than 20
years of struggle, the Communists ruled all of mainland China. They established a new government,
the People’s Republic of China, which the United States refused to accept as China’s true
government
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The Korean War as A Means of Containing Communism-In 1950, the United States and the
democratic government of South Korea went to war against and to contain the communist
government of North Korea. North Korea was being aided by the new Chinese communist
government led by Mao Zedong that had recently won the Chinese Civil War against the American
backed Nationalist forces of Chiang-Kai-Shek. Combat began when communist troops invaded South
Korea. Concerned over the spread of communism beyond the Soviet Union and China, the United
States sent its troops to force the communists back to North Korea.
Decision to Engage Communist in Korea Part of a Broader International Strategy-The U. S.
decision to enter the conflict in Korea was part of its larger strategy of geographically containing
communism in order to isolate and eventually defeat it. Driving North Korean forces across the
border, U.S. troops then followed the enemy into North Korea in an effort to entirely eliminate
communism from the Korean peninsula. However, when the Americans reached the border between
North Korea and China, the Chinese attacked, forcing the Americans back to South Korea. The
fighting ended in 1953 with roughly the same borders as when the war started, but the doctrine of
containment can be said to have been successful as South Korea was saved from becoming a
communist nation.
McCarthyism Represents a fear of Communist Infiltration Into the Government of the U. SAmericans had an increased fear of communism after the communist regime took control of China in
1950, and the United States and South Korea went to war against North Korean communists who
were being aided by China’s new communist government. This spread of communism in Asia
encouraged a desire among some Americans to stop communism from spreading to the United States.
A series of “Red Scares,” highlighted by Senator Joseph McCarthy’s statements about alleged
communist infiltration of the U.S. government and U. S. Army, led to civil rights violations of those
who were communists, were suspected of being communists, or were suspected of knowing someone
who might be a communist. McCarthyism has been associated with reckless allegations of
communist affiliation or membership with out proof of the same.
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SSUSH20 The student will analyze (break into pieces; study; dissect) the domestic and
international impact of the Cold War on the United States.
c. Describe (tell me about, list details of) the Cuban Revolution, the Bay of Pigs, and the
Cuban missile crisis.
Standard Overview-In 1956 Fidel Castro led a revolution against the Cuban dictator
Fulgencio Bautista. He toppled the regime in 1957 becoming Cuba’s new president. But soon
afterwards he announced he was a communist and sought close ties with the Soviet Union.
The first test of Kennedy’s foreign policy came in Cuba, 90 miles off the coast of Florida.
About two weeks before Kennedy took office, on January 3, 1961, President Eisenhower had
cut off diplomatic relations with Cuba because of a revolutionary leader named Fidel Castro.
Castro openly declared himself a communist and welcomed aid from the Soviet Union. In
March 1960, President Eisenhower gave the CIA permission to secretly train Cuban exiles
for an invasion of Cuba. The CIA and the exiles hoped it would trigger a mass uprising that
would overthrow Castro. Kennedy learned of the plan nine days after his election and he
approved of it and carried it into fruition. Because Kennedy was perceived as weak during
the Bay of Pigs situation the Soviets were encouraged to station support troops and nuclear
missiles in Cuba and this led to the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
Kennedy Loses His Nerve during the Bay of Pigs CIA Operation, and the USSR
Concluded that Kennedy was Weak Leading to the Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuba, Communism, and the Bay of Pigs Fiasco-The existence of a communist nation
allied with the Soviet Union just 90 miles off the coast of the United States jeopardized
the U. S. containment strategy. 1, 500 Cuban exiles, armed, and trained by the CIA, tried to
stage an invasion at Cuba’s Bay of Pigs in April 1917. Castro’s military forces crushed the
small force of CIA trained Cuban exiles after President Kennedy refused to provide them
with air support, or to involve U.S. armed forces. Twelve hundred of the invaders were
captured, and the United States was forced to give $53 million worth of food and supplies to
Cuba for release of the captives. The Bay of Pigs was a foreign policy fiasco for the newly
elected President Kennedy and it led Soviet leaders to view President Kennedy as weak
and indecisive.
Bay of Pigs Convinces Soviets to Station Missiles in Cuba Precipitating the Cuban
Missile Crisis of 1962-The Soviets believed Kennedy was weak because he refused to
involve the American military in Cuban affairs. The Soviets believed Kennedy would not
interfere if the Soviets built military missile launch sites in Cuba, so they installed missiles.
The Soviet plan was for Cuba to use these missiles to prevent another U.S.-planned invasion.
When an American spy plane took photos of a Soviet nuclear missile site being built in Cuba,
Kennedy immediately began planning a response.
Russian Nuclear Tipped Missiles Create are a National Security Risk-Enemy missiles
positioned so close to America’s coastline posed a serious threat to U.S. national
security. It was a violation of the Monroe Doctrine. Kennedy completely blockaded Cuba
and threatened to invade unless the Soviets promised to withdraw from Cuba. Finally, the
Soviets agreed to remove their missiles if the United States would remove its nuclear
missiles installed near the Soviet Union in Turkey. The two nations removed their missiles
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in what is now known as the Cuban missile crisis.
World on verge of potential nuclear war- On October 22, Kennedy informed an anxious
nation of the existence of Soviet missile sites in Cuba and of his plans to remove them. He
made it clear that any missile attack from Cuba would trigger an all-out attack on the Soviet
Union. For the next six days, the world faced the terrifying possibility of nuclear war.
Cuba quarantined by U. S. Navy In the Atlantic Ocean, Soviet ships—presumably carrying
more missiles—headed toward Cuba, while the U.S. Navy prepared to quarantine Cuba and
prevent the ships from coming within 500 miles of it. In Florida, 100,000 troops waited—the
largest invasion force ever assembled in the United States. The Soviet ships turned back
without challenging the American embargo of Cuba, thus backing down.
Khrushchev Loses Job Over His Backing Down Over Cuba-The crisis severely damaged
Khrushchev’s prestige in the Soviet Union and the world. Khruschchev was replaced by
Leonid Breshnev several years later.
Kennedy accused of losing Cuba-Kennedy did not escape criticism. Many believed he had
passed up an ideal chance to invade Cuba and oust Castro. (It was learned in the 1990s that
the CIA had underestimated the numbers of Soviet troops and nuclear weapons on the
island.) The effects of the crisis lasted long after the missiles had been removed. Many Cuban
exiles blamed the Democrats for “losing Cuba” (a charge that Kennedy had earlier leveled at
the Republicans), and switched their allegiance to the Republican Party.
The above map shows how Russian Missiles threatened major U. S. cities including the
nation’s capital
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SSUSH20 The student will analyze (break into pieces; study; dissect) the domestic and
international impact of the Cold War on the United States.
d. Describe (tell me about, list details of) the Vietnam War, the TET Offensive, and
growing opposition to the war.
Standard Overview-During a news conference in 1954, Eisenhower explained the domino
theory, in which he likened the countries on the brink of communism to a row of dominoes
waiting to fall one after the other. Thus, as part of the U.S. policy of containment, America
began to fill the void left by the French who were defeated by the Viet Minh (indigenous
North Vietnam fighters) at Dien Bien Phu in 1954 which led to the Geneva Conference
which split Vietnam into a communist north, supported by the U.S.S.R. and non-communist
south, supported by the U. S. By the end of 1963, 16,000 U.S. military personnel were in
South Vietnam. President Kennedy fell to an assassin’s bullet. The United States
presidency—along with the growing crisis in Vietnam—now belonged to Lyndon B.
Johnson. Eventually, the American public turned against supporting the Johnson anfd the
war because of Johnson’s deception in expanding the war and student protests against the war
and the TET Offensive in 1968.
Johnson Begins Expanding the war in 1964
Tonkin Gulf Resolution by Congress gives President Johnson almost unlimited power to
conduct war-On August 4, 1964 North Vietnam allegedly attacked two U.S. destroyers in
the Gulf of Tonkin. President Johnson asked Congress for powers to take “all necessary
measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent
further aggression.” Congress approved Johnson’s request, with only two senators voting
against it, and adopted the Tonkin Gulf Resolution on August 7. While not a declaration of
war, it granted Johnson broad military powers in Vietnam. Johnson did not tell Congress or
the American people that the United States had been leading secret raids against North
Vietnam. Furthermore, Johnson had prepared the resolution months beforehand and was
only waiting for the chance to push it through Congress.
Vietnam Becomes America’s Living Room War and America begins to divide on the
War. Through the media, specifically television, Vietnam became America’s first
“living-room war”- The combat footage that appeared nightly on the news in millions of
homes showed stark pictures that seemed to contradict the administration’s optimistic war
scenario. President Johnson’s deception and lack of candor clashed with the student campus
movement. The growing youth movement of the 1960s became known as the New Left.
New Left Student Organization Anti-War-Students for a Democratic Society (SDS),
founded in 1960 by Tom Hayden and Al Haber, charged that corporations and large
government institutions had taken over America. SDS became a major anti-Vietnam group.
Vietnam War Begins to Polarize the American Public-By 1967, Americans increasingly
found themselves divided into two camps regarding the war. Those who strongly opposed the
war and believed the United States should withdraw were known as doves. Feeling just as
strongly that America should unleash much of its greater military force to win the war was
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the hawks. Despite the visibility of the antiwar protesters, a majority of American citizens in
1967 (70%) still remained committed to the war.
TET (Vietnamese Lunar New Year holiday) Offensive of 1968 Changes America’s
Support for the War Effort-January 30, 1968 was the Vietnamese equivalent of New
Year’s Eve, the beginning of the lunar new year festivities known in Vietnam as TET.
a. On the TET holiday, the North Vietnamese and their indigenous South
Vietnam supporters known as the Vietcong launched an overwhelming attack on over 100
towns and cities in South Vietnam, as well as 12 U.S. air bases. They even attacked the U.S.
embassy in Saigon, killing five Americans.
b. The TET offensive continued for about a month before U. S. and South
Vietnamese forces regained control of the cities. In a matter of weeks, the TET offensive
changed millions of Americans’ minds about the war. Despite the years of antiwar protest, a
poll taken just before TET showed that only 28 percent of Americans called themselves
doves, while 56 percent claimed to be hawks.
c. After TET, both sides tallied 40 percent. The significance of the TET
Offensive by the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong was to make Americans feel the war
could not be won and that the U.S. needed to get out as best it could. The mainstream
media now openly criticized the war. One of the nation’s most respected journalists, Walter
Cronkite, told his viewers that it now seemed “more certain than ever that the bloody
experience of Vietnam is to end in a stalemate.” Johnson’s popularity plummeted. In public
opinion polls taken at the end of February 1968, nearly 60 percent of Americans
disapproved of his handling of the war.
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Summary execution during TET Offensive in Saigon
Nixon Wins Presidency Promising Peace and Vietnamizes the War-As President Nixon
settled into the White House in January of 1969, negotiations to end the war in Vietnam were
going nowhere. In the midst of the stalled negotiations, Nixon conferred with National
Security Adviser Henry Kissinger on a plan to end America’s involvement in Vietnam.
Kissinger, a German emigrant who had earned three degrees from Harvard, was an expert on
international relations. Their plan, known as Vietnamization, called for the gradual
withdrawal of U.S. troops in order for the South Vietnamese to take on a more active combat
role in the war. By August of 1969, the first 25,000 U.S. troops had returned home from
Vietnam. Over the next three years, the number of American troops in Vietnam dropped from
more than 500,000 to less than 25,000.
By Early 1973 Nixon Secures a Peace Treaty-Under a peace agreement with the North
Vietnamese North Vietnamese troops would remain in South Vietnam. Nixon promised
South Vietnam to respond “with full force” to any violation of the peace agreement. On
March 29, 1973, the last U.S. combat troops left for home. For America, the Vietnam War
had ended.
Vietnam Falls April 30, 1975-The war between South and North Vietnam dragged on and
the cease-fire was rapidly breached after the last of the American troops left the country. On
April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese tanks rolled into Saigon and captured the city. Soon after,
South Vietnam surrendered to North Vietnam.
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The Legacy of Vietnam-The Vietnam War exacted a terrible price from its participants.
a. In all, 58,000 Americans were killed and some 303,000 were wounded. North
and South Vietnamese deaths topped 2 million. In addition, the war left Southeast Asia
highly unstable, which led to further war in Laos and Cambodia (Domino Theory?).
b. In America, a divided nation attempted to come to grips with an unsuccessful
war. In the end, the conflict in Vietnam left many Americans with a more cautious
outlook on foreign affairs and a more cynical attitude toward their government.
c. Many Americans concluded that America could no longer be the police-man of
the world.
d. Other lessons were that Congress should not give unlimited powers to the
executive (president) as had been done in the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. Average
American citizens began to have a deep distrust of their government and its
representations as a result of government lying and cover-ups.
e. Importantly, another legacy of Vietnam was to paralyze American foreign
policy initiatives where voices on the left claimed any type of involvement with potential
commitment of American troops was the beginning of a “New Vietnam” quagmire with all
kinds of dire consequences, regardless of the issue involved.
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Content Domain V: Modern Era
GPS 21-25
(This Domain will account for 22% of test questions or approximately 18 of 80
questions)
Explain the impact of technological development and economic growth on the
United States, 1945–1975
Standard Overview-America experienced tremendous technological development and
economic growth from the end of World War II through 1975, and their impact on our nation
continues to this day.
Economic Growth-After World War II, soldiers returned home to America and settled back
into the lives they had left behind. One effect of this was a huge growth in population, called
the baby boom. The “baby boom” generation was between 1945 and 1965, and the
generation referred to as “baby boomers” is the largest generation in American history. Some
77 million babies were born between 1955 and 1965. This massive number of births impacts
social services at the federal level such as medicare and social security.
Housing Boom Begins with Increased Growth of Suburbs called Levittowns-Another
effect of the soldiers’ return was a housing shortage. The veterans’ new and growing families
needed homes to live in. In response, housing developers such as William Levitt created
methods of building houses faster, cheaper, and more efficiently. These methods led to
the creation of the first suburbs—communities outside of a city and made up of mostly
single-family houses for people whose family members worked in the city. The first
master-planned community in America was William Levitt’s Levittown, located on New
York’s Long Island.
Interstate Highways Develop to Link Cities and Suburbs-Because the new suburbs were
outside the limits of large cities, there was little public transportation available for the
suburban residents. They needed cars, and increased car ownership meant more roads were
needed, so Congress passed the Interstate Highway Act, authorizing the construction of a
national network of highways to connect every major city in America. In all, 41,000
miles of new expressways, or freeways, were built. It was a record-size public works project.
Television Becomes the New Medium and Impacts Middle Class America-The first
regular television broadcasts began in 1949, providing just two hours a week of news and
entertainment to a very small area on the East Coast. By 1956, over 500 stations were
broadcasting all over America, bringing news and entertainment into the living rooms of
most Americans and creating a new form of a national shared experience.
Television Impacts Presidential Politics-In the 1960 national election campaign, the
Kennedy/Nixon presidential debates were the first ones ever shown on TV. Seventy million
people tuned in. Although Nixon was more knowledgeable about foreign policy and other
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topics, Kennedy looked and spoke more forcefully because he had been coached by
television producers. Kennedy’s performance in the debate helped him win the presidency.
The Kennedy/Nixon debates changed the nature of American politics.
Television Impacts American Civil Rights Movement-TV newscasts also changed the
shape of American culture. Americans who might never have attended a civil rights
demonstration saw and heard them on their TVs in the 1960s. In 1963, TV reports showed
helmeted police officers from Birmingham, Alabama, using high-pressure fire hoses to spray
African American children who had been walking in a peaceful protest march. The reports
also showed the officers setting police dogs to attack them, and then clubbing them. TV news
coverage of the civil rights movement helped many Americans turn their sympathies
toward ending racial segregation and persuaded Kennedy that new laws were the only
ways to end the racial violence and to give African Americans the civil rights they were
demanding.
Air Conditioning, Cell Phones, Computers, and Other Technological Wonders-In
addition to the television, other postwar advances in technology surged. The expanded use of
air-conditioning permitted more tolerable working conditions in skyscrapers and other
buildings used for conducting business, thereby encouraging urban development and
stimulating economic growth in hot and humid climates (especially in the South).
Telephone lines covered the country, allowing people to stay in contact regardless of
distance. By the 1970s, early versions of today’s personal computers, the Internet, and
cellular phones gave a few Americans a glimpse of the technologies that someday would
connect everyone to each other regardless of where they were, and these technologies would
become as common as typewriters and public phone booths were in the 1970s.
Sputnik I, The Space Race, and the Cold War-In 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first
artificial satellite—Sputnik I—a feat that caused many Americans to believe the United
States had “fallen behind” the Soviet Union in terms of understanding science and the uses of
technology. The success of the Soviet satellite launch led to increased U.S. government
spending on education, especially in mathematics and science by Congress passing the
National Defense Education Act, and on national military defense programs. Congress also
created the National Aeronautical and Space Administration to coordinate U.S. space
policy. Additionally, Sputnik I increased Cold War tensions by heightening U.S. fears
that the Soviet Union might use rockets to launch nuclear weapons against the United
States and its allied nations.
Identify dimensions of the civil rights movement, 1945–1970
Standard Overview-The movement in favor of civil rights for African Americans and other
minority groups dates back to the earliest days of U.S. history. While this movement still
continues today, great strides were taken in the 25 years following World War II.
Post War Racial Integration Efforts-African Americans fought in World War II and also
worked in war industries in the United States during the war. After the war, they once again
faced the racial discrimination that had been traditional before the war, but many people took
bold actions to end discrimination and promote integration. The following six major events in
the recent history of the civil rights movement are important to know.
130

1947––Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play for a
major league baseball team in the United States, the Brooklyn Dodgers. This
led to the complete integration of baseball and other professional sports.
Robinson was the National League’s most valuable player in 1949 and the
first African American in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Until this time, African
Americans played professional baseball in the Negro League.

1948––President Harry Truman issued an executive order to integrate
the U.S. armed forces and to end discrimination in the hiring of U.S.
government employees. In turn, this led to the civil rights laws enacted in the
1960s.

1954––In Brown v. Board of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court
eclared that state laws establishing “separate but equal” public schools denied
African American students the equal education promised in the Fourteenth
Amendment. The Court’s decision reversed prior rulings dating back to the
Plessy v. Ferguson case in 1896. Many people were unhappy with this
decision, and some even refused to follow it. The governor of Arkansas
ordered the National Guard to keep nine African American students from
attending Little Rock’s Central High School; President Eisenhower sent
federal troops to Little Rock to force the high school to integrate.
1963––Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in Birmingham, Alabama,
while demonstrating against racial segregation. In jail he wrote his “Letter
from Birmingham Jail” to address fears white religious leaders had that he
was moving too fast toward desegregation. In his letter, King explained why
victims of segregation, violent attacks, and murder found it difficult to wait
for those injustices to end. Later the same year, King delivered his most
famous speech, “I Have a Dream,” to over 250,000 people at the Lincoln
Memorial in Washington, D.C. In this speech, King asked for peace and
racial harmony.
1964––The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law by President
Lyndon Johnson. This law prohibited discrimination based on race, religion,
national origin, and gender. It allowed all citizens the right to enter any park,
restroom, library, theater, and public building in the United States. One factor
that prompted this law was the long struggle for civil rights undertaken by
America’s African American population. Another factor was King’s famous
“I Have a Dream” speech; its moving words helped create widespread support
for this law. Other factors included previous presidential actions that
combated civil rights violations, such as Truman’s in 1948 and Eisenhower’s
in 1954, and Kennedy’s sending federal troops to Mississippi (1962) and
Alabama (1963) to force the integration of public universities there.
1965––The Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed the requirement for
would-be voters in the United States to take literacy tests to register to vote,
because this requirement was judged as unfair to minorities. The act provided
for programs to register voters in areas with unregistered minorities, and it
gave the Department of Justice the right to oversee the voting laws in certain
districts that had literacy tests or poll taxes to limit voting.



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Describe and assess the impact of political developments between 1945
and 1970
Standard Overview- In the late 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, political actions and decisions
resolved thorny issues that Americans had faced for many decades. Individual rights, civil
rights, and social welfare, were addressed by Americans, sometimes within the institutions of
the U.S. government, and sometimes by private citizens.
Individual Rights and The Warren Court-During most of the 1950s and 1960s, the U.S.
Supreme Court was headed by Chief Justice Earl Warren. The Warren Court, as it was
known, became famous for issuing landmark decisions, such as declaring that segregation in
public schools was unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education, that the Constitution
includes the right to privacy, that the right of free speech protects students who wear
armbands as an antiwar protest on school grounds, and that all states must obey all decisions
of the Supreme Court. In 1963, the Warren Court issued another of its landmark decisions,
Miranda v. Arizona: Police must inform suspects of their constitutional rights at the time of
arrest. The case involved a man named Ernesto Miranda, who was convicted and imprisoned
after signing a confession although, at the time of his arrest, the police questioned him
without telling him he had the right to speak with an attorney and the right to stay silent. The
Miranda decision strengthened Americans’ individual rights.
Murder in Dallas-The assassination of President Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, in November
1963, was a tragic event with a twofold political impact.
1. The assassination showed Americans just how strong their government was because,
although the president could be killed, the U.S. government would live on.
2. The assassination gave the new president, Lyndon Johnson, the political capital to
force his domestic legislative package through Congress. This included the Economic
Opportunity Act of 1964, which launched Johnson’s “War on Poverty,” and the Civil
Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed segregation in American schools and other public
places.
Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society Legislation-During a 1964 speech, President Johnson
summed up his vision for America in the phrase “the Great Society.” His programs to make
the United States a great society would give all Americans a better standard of living and
greater opportunities regardless of their background. The Medicare program is an important
legacy of the Great Society, as are policies and programs that sought to improve elementary
and secondary education, to protect the environment, and to reform immigration policies.
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The Tumultuous Year of 1968-The year 1968 was one of social and political turmoil in the
United States. A list of four key events that shocked America and made 1968 a defining
moment of the modern era follow:
January––Vietcong fighters launched the TET Offensive during the Vietnam War,
attacking over 100 South Vietnamese towns, 12 American air bases, and the U.S. embassy in
South Vietnam. Many Americans turned against the war and against the Johnson
administration, which had claimed the enemy was near defeat.
2. April––The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. caused riots in over 100 cities
across America, despite pleas for calm from such prominent leaders as Senator Robert F.
Kennedy, who was then running for president. One week after King’s death, Congress passed
the Civil
Rights Act of 1968, which prevented discrimination in housing.
June––The assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, following soon after King’s
assassination, disheartened many people who shared Kennedy’s desires for social reform and
opposition to the Vietnam War. He was running for president and was killed on the same
night he won the California and South Dakota presidential primaries.
August––The Democratic National Convention in Chicago is remembered as a scene
where police armed with clubs and tear gas violently beat antiwar protesters on live TV.
Many Americans started wondering if the American form of government could tolerate
dissent.
Analyze the impact of social change movements and organizations of the 1960
Standard Overview-The 1960s were a decade of great social change. Many movements
competed for Americans’ attention, including groups advocating rights for African
Americans, Latinos, farmworkers, and women. Another movement supported
environmentalism. While these movements were sometimes described as liberal, a
conservative political movement also arose during the sixties.
Civil Rights Movement and Groups-Two civil rights groups prominent in the struggle for
African American rights in the sixties were the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
(SCLC) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Review the
breakdown on the next page to see how the SCLC and the SNCC started as similar
organizations but grew to differ over time, especially in the SNCC’s changing composition.
A Chart discussing the differences between these two civil rights groups appears
on the following page.
133
Anti–Vietnam War Movement-In 1964 tow U.S. destroyers were attacked in international
waters of the Gulf of Tonkin off of North Vietnam. Johnson asked Congress for a Joint
Resolution authorizing him to do “whatever was necessary to protect U.S. interest in the area.
President Johnson uses Tonkin Gulf Resolution to expand war in Vietnam between
1964 and 1969 and it causes increasing college student opposition. Many antiwar groups
started on college campuses to urge the government to end selective service (the draft) and to
bring home all American troops from Vietnam. They used many of the same tactics as groups
fighting for civil rights, including sit-ins, marches, and demonstrations. Later, some
protesters became more radical, burning their draft cards, going to prison rather than going to
Vietnam, and even fleeing to Canada.
War Powers Act of 1973: A Response to Loss of Congressional Power Resulting From
the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution-In 1973, after a Peace Treaty was concluded with North
Vietnam, Congress passed the War Powers Act to take back Congressional war making
power. The Act allows the President to commit forces up to 90 days anywhere in the world
but within two days of committing troops, the President must advise Congress of the reasons
for committing the troops and Congress must them fund the troops passed 90 days or the
troops come home.
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Feminist Movement-The National Organization for Women was founded in 1966 to
promote equal rights and opportunities for America’s women. The movement was greatly
influenced by the book The Feminine Mystique written by NOW founder Betty Friedan.
NOW had its origins in the civil rights and antiwar movements of the early 1960s. In both of
these movements, women felt sidelined by the men who led organizations like the SNCC and
anti–Vietnam War groups. NOW’s goals included equality in wages and employment,
political and social equality, and the passage of the equal rights amendment.
United Farm Workers’ Movement-Latinos also engaged in marches and protests to gain
civil rights in the 1960s. Their leader was César Chávez, an American of Mexican descent
who grew up picking crops in California with his family. As founder of the United Farm
Workers’ movement, Chávez, like Martin Luther King, Jr., believed in nonviolent
methods to achieve his goals. In 1965, he started a nationwide boycott of California grapes,
forcing grape growers to negotiate a contract with the United Farm Workers in 1970. This
contract gave farmworkers higher wages and other benefits for which they had been
protesting through the sixties.
Environmental Rights Movement-Protecting the environment became important to many
Americans. Silent Spring, a 1962 book about pesticides written by Rachel Carson, exposed
chemical pesticide dangers to the environment. This book led to the Water Quality Act of
1965. It also led to the first Earth Day being celebrated in 1970, when almost every
community across America, and over 10,000 schools and 2,000 colleges organized events to
raise awareness of environmental issues. Earth Day is still celebrated each year. Also in
1970, President Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set limits on
pollution, to conduct environmental research, and to assist state and local governments in the
cleanup of polluted sites.
Rise of the Conservative Political Movement-In 1964, the Republicans nominated Senator
Barry Goldwater for president, which was a sign of the rising power of America’s
conservative movement. Goldwater believed the federal government should not try to fix
social and economic problems such as poverty, discrimination, or lack of opportunity. His
conservative proposals included selling the Tennessee Valley Authority, making Social
Security voluntary, and getting more involved in Vietnam. Goldwater lost the election to
President Johnson, who said more American involvement in Vietnam would not solve the
problems there.
The New Federalism under Nixon-The conservative movement continued with the 1968
candidacy and election of Republican Richard M. Nixon. He wanted to replace President
Johnson’s Great Society programs with what he called the New Federalism. This
conservative initiative would take away some federal government powers, such as social
welfare, and give them to state and local governments.
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Roe v. Wade––1973––Addressed the right of women to choose whether to have
an abortion under certain circumstances. By expanding the constitutional right of
privacy to include abortion, the Court extended civil liberties protections.
·
Regents of University of California v. Bakke––1978––Ruled race can be used
when considering applicants to colleges, but racial quotas cannot be used. The
Court barred the use of quota systems in college admissions but expanded
Americans’ civil rights by giving constitutional protection to affirmative action
programs that give equal access to minorities.
Nixon Administrations Opens Diplomatic Relations with China-Richard Nixon’s
presidency was one of great successes and criminal scandals. Nixon’s visit to China in 1971
90
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Copyright © 2009
by the Georgia
Department
of Education.
All rights
reserved.
take advantage of a 10-year standoff between China and the Soviet Union. Nixon hoped to
have the Chinese on his side in case he had future negotiations with the Soviets.
Watergate Scandal Forces Nixon’s Resignation from the Presidency-Later, Nixon was
part of the Watergate scandal, which centered on his administration’s attempt to cover up a
burglary of the offices of the Democratic Party in the Watergate apartment and office
complex in Washington, D. C. The crime was committed by Nixon’s reelection campaign
team that sought political information. Nixon won reelection in 1972, but his efforts to cover
up the crime soon unraveled and, facing impeachment, he resigned in 1974. The scandal left
Americans dismayed by Nixon’s actions and cynical about politics in general. It also led to
changes in campaign financing and to laws requiring high-level government officials to
disclose their finances. Because Nixon and many of the people involved in Watergate were
lawyers, the reputation of the legal profession suffered too. The significance of the
Watergate scandal was the creation of an ever deepening distrust of government that
had started under Lyndon Johnson.
Ford Administration-Nixon was succeeded by his vice president, Gerald Ford, whose twoyear presidency was damaged by his connection to Nixon. It was further damaged when he
pardoned Nixon for any crimes he may have committed. One bright spot is that the Vietnam
War ended during the Ford administration because it followed a path established by Nixon,
but Ford’s domestic policies failed to stop growing inflation and unemployment, and
America experienced its worst economic recession since the Great Depression.
136
Carter Administration-Jimmy Carter’s presidency was strongly influenced by
international issues. He tried to bring peace to the Middle East and, in the Camp David
Accords, negotiated a peace agreement between the Egyptian president and the Israeli prime
minister at Camp David (a presidential retreat in Maryland) in 1978. This was his
administration’s greatest success. This was the first time there had been a signed peace
agreement between Middle Eastern nations. Although the agreement left many differences
unresolved, it did solve urgent problems facing the two nations.
Carter’s Administration Viewed as Weak and Sets the Stage for Future Terrorism-In
1978 the Iranian Revolution replaced a shah (king) friendly to America with a Muslim
religious leader extremely unfriendly to America referred to by the Muslim religious leader
as the “Great Satan”. When Carter let the shah enter the United States for medical treatment,
angry Iranian revolutionaries invaded the U.S. embassy in Iran and took 52 Americans
captive. The Iranian hostage crisis lasted 444 days, until the captives were released after the
election of Ronald Reagan as president, and it nurtured anti-Americanism among Muslims
around the world and exported terrorism abroad.
Reagan Administration-Ronald Reagan was president for much of the 1980s. During that
time, many important events helped shape American politics to this day. As a conservative,
Reagan wanted to decrease the size and role of the federal government.
Clinton Administration-Bill Clinton’s presidency included ratification of the North
American Free Trade Agreement. NAFTA brought Mexico into a free-trade (tariff-free)
zone already existing between the United States and Canada. Opponents believed
NAFTA would send U. S. jobs to Mexico and harm the environment, while supporters
believed it would open up the growing Mexican market to U.S. companies; these pros and
cons are still argued today. Most unions opposed NAFTA.
Clinton Impeached by House of Representatives But Acquitted By the SenateClinton also became the second president in U.S. history to suffer impeachment (Andrew
Johnson was the first). The House of Representatives charged him with perjury and
obstruction of justice. The charges were based on accusations of improper use of money from
137
a real estate deal and allegations he had lied under oath about an improper relationship with a
White House intern. Clinton denied the charges and the Senate acquitted him, allowing
Clinton to remain in office and finish his second term. However, a federal court found he had
indeed perjured himself and he was stripped of his law license by the state of Arkansas.
2000 Presidential Election-The presidential election of 2000 saw Clinton’s vice president,
Al Gore, facing the Republican governor of Texas, George W. Bush, as well as consumer
advocate Ralph Nader, who ran as a third-party candidate. Polls showed the race would be
close, and it turned out to be one of the closest elections in American history. Gore won the
national popular vote by over 500,000 of the 105 million votes cast, but when American
voters cast ballots for president, the national popular vote has no legal significance. Rather,
Americans are voting for members of the Electoral College representing each candidate.
Each state is assigned “electors” in equal number to its total number of U.S. representatives
and senators. (For example, Georgia had thirteen electors in 2000: eleven representatives and
two senators.) In the 2000 election, Bush won the Electoral College by receiving 271
votes to Gore’s 266.
Bush Administration-George W. Bush’s presidency will always be remembered for alQaeda’s attacks on September 11, 2001 (9/11). In response, and with overwhelming
support of both Congress and the American people, Bush signed a law the Patriot Act to
allow the U.S. government to hold foreign citizens suspected of being terrorists for up to
seven days without charging them with a crime. This law also increased the ability of
American law-enforcement agencies to search private communications and personal records.
Bush also created the Department of Homeland Security and charged it with protecting
the United States from terrorist attacks and with responding to natural disasters.
Operations in Afghanistan-In October 2001, another of Bush’s responses to the 9/11
terrorist attacks was his authorizing Operation Enduring Freedom, the invasion of
Afghanistan by the U.S. military and allied forces. That country’s Taliban government was
harboring the al-Qaeda leadership. The allied forces quickly defeated the Taliban government
and destroyed the al-Qaeda network in Afghanistan; however, al-Qaeda leader Osama bin
Laden escaped.
War on Terrorism-The invasion of Afghanistan was part of Bush’s larger war on
terrorism, for which he built an international coalition to fight the al-Qaeda network and
other terrorist groups. In March 2003, American and British troops invaded Iraq in
Operation Iraqi Freedom. Iraq’s president, Saddam Hussein, went into hiding while U.S.
forces searched for the weapons of mass destruction (WMD) that Bush feared Hussein had
and could supply to terrorists for use against the United States and which the world major
intelligence agencies said existed, including the CIA. No WMD were found before Hussein
was captured. Hussein was convicted by Iraq of crimes against humanity and executed in
2006.
138
Important Supreme Court Cases
Judicial Review
Marbury v. Madison (1803): William Marbury (one of John Adams’ midnight judges)
sues to have papers delivered; Judiciary Act of 1789 requires Supreme Court order;
Marshall rules requirement unconstitutional; establishes precedent of Judicial reviewSupreme Court able to declare Congressional laws unconstitutional.
Strengthening Government Economic Control
Gibbons v. Ogden (1824): Congress has exclusive right to control interstate
commerce.
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819): A state cannot overturn laws passed by Congress and
the Bank of the United States was Constitutional under the Constitution’s elastic clause
(Art. 1, Sec. 8, Cl. 18).
Limiting State Powers
Fletcher v. Peck (1810): Georgia law violating an individual’s right to make a contract
held unconstitutional
Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819): the Court held that the College's corporate
charter qualified as a contract between private parties, with which the legislature could
not interfere. Chief Justice Marshall's opinion emphasized that the term "contract"
referred to transactions involving individual property rights, not to "the political relations
between the government and its citizens."
Cherokee Nation Case
Worcester v. Georgia (1832): The state of Georgia had no authority to make laws
governing the Cherokee Nation nor the right to invade their land. (President Andrew
Jackson ignored this decision and implemented policies leading to the Trail of Tears).
Dred Scott Slavery Decision
Scott v. Sanford (1857) a/k/a the Dred Scott Decision: Dred Scott, a slave had lived in
free areas sues for freedom; Chief Justice Roger B. Taney hands down decision holdingslaves do not have rights of citizens & Congress cannot forbid slavery in territories.
Helps lead to Civil War.
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Segregation, Separate but Equal Cases
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896): This Supreme Court decision established the legality of
racial segregation so long as facilities were ‘separate but equal.’
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954): This Supreme Court case
overruled Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) declaring that the segregation doctrine of ‘separate
but equal,’ was not Constitutional when applied to the public school system. Separate but
equal was inherently unequal. Educational integration must occur “with all deliberate
speed.”
Individual Liberty Cases
Right to an Attorney
Gideon vs. Wainwright (1963): the Supreme Court ruled that all criminals were entitled
to legal counsel, even if they were too poor to afford it.
Right Not to Incriminate and to be Warned
Escobedo v. Illinois (1964) and Miranda v. Arizona (1966): were two cases in which the
Supreme Court ruled that the accused could now remain silent and law enforcement
authorities had to warn the accused of his right to not incriminate himself when under
Abortion Case
Roe v. Wade (1973): the Supreme Court ruled that the 14th Amendments equal protection
clause prohibited states from making laws that interfered with a woman's right to an
abortion during the early months (first trimester) of pregnancy.
Reverse Discrimination in Education Cases
University of California v. Bakke (1978). This Supreme Court case barred quota
systems in determining college admissions, but allowed affirmative action programs to
remain Constitutional. This was the first reverse discrimination case brought about by the
affirmative policy in higher education.
140